The Phantom's Hauntings
by Cresenta's Lark
Summary: Scam/Sam "Every story comes with an alternate side to it; a different story, with the same concept, the same characters, the same ideas all rolled into something that could be amazing... or utterly terrifying." Part 1:Cresenta's Lark, Part 2:Poison's Ivy
1. The Phantom's Hauntings I

Hello everyone! :D

Okay so this was supposed to be written for Halloween but we're one day late (thanks to me lol). This fic is the 1st story in a set of _2 __**DIFFERENT STORIES**_.

As the summary explains Part 1 is by **me** and Part 2 (the next chapter) is by **Poison's Ivy. **Both parts do** NOT **relate in any way.

**Note: **This fic is possibly (very possibly) **rated M **for violence amongst other things. There is murder in here so this is just a heads up. I hope it isn't too (too) creepy lol. :) Also pleaseeeee forgive me for the huge length, as I'm sure you all know by now I fail at short oneshots. Lol.

Also this story is **AU**. Sam is not a spy. Ok now I will shut up and let you read.

**Disclaimer: ***has been scared away by an evil spirit that goes by the name of Cresenta*

Enjoy! :D

* * *

He sat in the darkness staring at the fireplace, yet his eyes could draw no warmth from the crackling fire. Jerry tightened his hands around the latest letter he had received. It was a threat to put it straight. He was about to lose everything he owned. His estate, his other possessions and possibly his life. No wonder he was warned about borrowing money from this man. His tired eyes glanced up at the wall, looking at the clock because he knew he was running out of time. Jerry had been given until tomorrow morning to arrange for the money he owed. And even though he had agreed at the time out of fear, and had said that he would somehow figure this out he knew it was never possible. How could he possibly turn up millions of dollars over one night! Yes, that is what he was told he better do if...he wanted to continue his existence.

He glanced now at the photo of his only heir hanging on the wall. His stomach churned when he wondered how he would deal with her finding out that her beloved uncle Jerry had lost her deceased parents' entire fortune to one man. He really should have quit business while he was on top, but it was honestly too late to think about that now.

Shivering he was forced to think of the man he owed millions to. _Tim Scam. _A successful, cold-blooded business man, who would do anything to make sure he never lost. And Jerry of all people had been caught in his alluring web. Of course Jerry had jumped at the opportunity to make his fortune double or maybe triple and had borrowed money from him. Now he wasn't blaming Tim Scam, because it wasn't his fault that he had not been unable to get anywhere. He wasn't to blame for his loss, Jerry knew that he himself was at fault.

But why did it matter? He owed Tim Scam millions. He owed money to a well-known ruthless man who didn't mind delivering him death threats on the phone every time they talked about the money he owed. And every time they talked the threats got worse and worse. Shuddering Jerry found himself wondering how such a seemingly charming man could be so cruel, so evil, and posses such a dark heart. The phone's sudden ringing made him jump in his seat on the couch. Jerry gulped before picking it up, knowing who was on the other end.

"Hello Mr. Lewis.." said an icy voice on the other side. Jerry gulped recognizing that voice, it being impossible to forget. No one could forget the voice that declared that they were going to die soon. Shivering he began to speak, hoping to mask the fear and desperation in his voice. "Hello Mr. Scam." He heard a small sigh of irritation from the other end making him clutch the phone a little harder.

"I am tired of this Jerry. I have simply called to remind you that you better have my money, every penny of what you owe ready by exactly 9:00 tomorrow morning..." There was a pause, and then a chuckle. "Oh look it's already 3:00. Wonderful, you only have six hours. That's more than enough time." Jerry's knuckles turned white from gripping the phone so hard. "Tim.." he began, gulping to try and moisten his suddenly dry throat. Perhaps he could reason with him? Make a bargain of some sort? "Perhaps we could talk, you know? Come up with a reasonable solution? I-" A scoff cut him off. "Tomorrow…9:00 Jerry." And then Jerry was left wide-eyed and afraid when he heard the click of the phone being put down on the other end. He had been hung up on. And at that moment he knew there was no way out of this.

_**It was over. **_

The next morning Jerry awoke white from fear and his eyes bulging when he heard the knock at the door at exactly 9:00am. And he was tempted to not open the door, but knowing the man that stood waiting outside he knew that if he did not open the door it would be ripped down. The confrontation that would follow would not be in his favour at all. Jerry dragged himself down the stairs and opened the door, trying not to look too horrified when he saw the feral smirk on Tim Scam's face.

He let himself in, walking around the old man that stood transfixed at the door. Jerry's shaking hand closed the door a moment later and when he turned around he was greeted with the question he had been dreading his entire sleepless night. "Do you have my money Jerry?" he heard Scam ask, getting right to the point. Jerry opened his mouth to try and reason with the man before him. "Well the thing is I-"

"Yes or no?" Scam interrupted, showing he had no patience whatsoever anymore. Jerry gulped lowering his head. He dreaded the reaction he was about to receive, but he had to answer him. "No.." he whispered slowly keeping his head down not wanting to see the bloodlust rising in Scam's eyes. He heard him draw a deep breath and Jerry could feel goose bumps dancing up and down his cold skin. "So...you don't have my money...hmm. You do know what that means right?" Jerry froze in fear when he heard Scam's footsteps coming closer to him. And he was forced to wonder if he had been serious about the death threats, but any need for him to doubt Tim Scam's intentions was blown away when he was suddenly hauled up by the collar of his shirt and slammed against the nearest wall. Jerry gasped in pain when his back violently hit the brick wall near the fireplace. Slamming him one more time, Scam smirked. "I guess you didn't take me seriously. I meant death when I said death Jerry."

Jerry shivered trying to pry Scam's hand off his collar, but soon it was wrapping around his throat. "No! no please!" he stuttered. "I couldn't give you the millions I owe you because I couldn't tell her that I lost our fortune!" Scam paused, raising an eyebrow now curious. Jerry continued in a quiet, shaky voice. "This fortune that I put on stake wasn't entirely mine...my heir is the real owner of this estate and all my fortune." Scam chuckled only tightening his grip on the old man's throat. "Is that supposed to be an excuse? It's a lousy one." Jerry shuddered leaving Scam to smirk in satisfaction. "Listen well...old man. I don't care about this "heir" of yours. YOU owed me money, that was mine. YOU have failed to give it to me. And that means that YOU are now going to die." Fixing the old man with a death glare he whispered, "It's as simple as that."

Panicking now Jerry tried kicking Scam, but he only gave him a hateful glare. "Please!" He screamed in panic. "Killing me isn't going to recover your money. I have nothing on my name now. It's all hers! It all belongs to her!" Scam paused suddenly dropping his aggressive hold on Jerry's throat. He kept quiet in thought before he looked back into Jerry's eyes. Was the fool actually smiling? Did he actually think he had won? Scam smirked kicking Jerry hard in the side and shoving him against the wall once again, this time with his foot.

He kept his foot against Jerry's heaving chest applying heavy pressure and crushing his chest while he spoke."You are wrong Jerry. Killing you is EXACTLY what is going to recover my money..." Scam pressed the heel of his boot into Jerry's stomach earning a painful groan. "See when you die.." He dug his heel into the old man's abdomen harder now, liking the screams of pain that followed. "Your heir will be forced to come and claim her fortune..." Scam removed his leg reaching down and hauling Jerry up on his feet. "And when she gets here she will be dealing with me." Jerry shuddered, fear gnawing at his insides when he thought about the fate of his niece.

"Tell me her name!" Scam spat, but Jerry shook his head refusing to open his mouth. "Speak Jerry...and I'll make your death a little less painful." When Jerry shook his head again he was slammed against the wall, the blow rambling his bones. Soon Scam's hands were wrapped around Jerry's throat, only tightening their hold and slowly draining his breath. "Sa-" Jerry coughed out. He had to tell, maybe he would let him live if he did. "Sam-Samantha..Samantha Simpson."

Scam only smirked finally hearing the name of the soon to be unfortunate girl. He noted how Jerry's eyes glanced over at the photo on the wall, storing this in his memory for later knowing this was a photo of the girl in question.

Without wasting anymore time Scam simply tightened his hold on Jerry's neck, applying more and more pressure until Jerry took one last constricted breath. And then he was silenced forever. Dropping him to the ground Scam smirked when he heard the old man's dead body fall to the floor. Leaving him there he walked over to get a better look at the photograph on the wall. He smirked when he saw the smiling face of a beautiful red-headed young girl. This would be easy. He slowly removed the glass frame from the wall, glancing at it for a moment before throwing it to the ground. Scam smirked stepping on the frame, and crushing it with his foot. His smirk continued to grow wider because he knew that soon this heir of Jerry's would be crushed just the same.

* * *

A shuddering sigh escaped the girl who sat on a couch while tightly clutching a letter in her hand. Samantha Simpson's eyes widened as she read the message she had received. After having virtually no contact with her uncle Jerry for almost a year now, she was suddenly given news of his abrupt disappearance. The letter also went on to explain that it was believed that he was most probably dead, even though his body had not been found yet. She sighed feeling tears prick at the edges of her eyes. Her poor uncle Jerry. How could this have happened? Where could he be? Why would he suddenly be dead…could he have been murdered?

Sam sighed again. That was what her best friend Kevin Govinski thought. She shook her head, Kevin being a cop always jumped for the worst case scenario. She rubbed her arms and let out another sigh. Those people that had any contact with her uncle told her that Jerry had gone…distant in the last few days before his disappearance. They said that he had been acting very strangely. He rarely left his house, and those that saw him said he was always looking over his shoulder as if he was afraid of something.

She bit her lip having another thought. And then there were those people that said that the mansion Jerry lived in was haunted. That his entire estate was plagued by deadly ghosts. It was a recent rumour that had spread like wildfire when Jerry had vanished without a trace, after locking himself in his mansion for 24 hours. She honestly didn't know what to think. All she knew was that her beloved uncle was gone and she was to go to England now to claim his estate. Being his only heir she was to go immediately. Sam bit her lip, sighing quietly. If only Kevin could go with her then she would feel safer, she was not used to being alone. But Kevin was busy with a case he was solving. It was okay though because he had promised that he would come to England as soon as he was done.

With an uneasy smile on her face she glanced at the airline tickets. By the end of the day tomorrow she would be at Jerry's estate.

* * *

Sam stood outside the enormous mansion at the heart of the estate that went on for miles, staring at it as it stood bathed in the light from the full moon. The mansion appeared almost black in colour at the moment, and there was this ominous air that hung over the entire property. Her teeth chattered when she thought she heard whispering in her ear leaving her to hope that it was only the nightly breeze and nothing more, but for some reason it felt like she could feel every single inch of her skin crawling over with goose bumps while she stood in front of her late uncle's house.

She gulped, rumours about this place being haunted rushing through her memory, thoughts of her uncle dying here plaguing her mind. Her hands tightened around the handle of her suitcase when she heard footsteps approaching her. Seeing a shadow on the ground she gulped dryly before shakily looking up to see who or _what _had joined her. When her paranoia died down she narrowed her eyes at the outline of a human figure that was standing nearby. She blinked to see the man more clearly. He stood out of the shadows despite being dressed almost entirely in black.

Sam stared at him curiously wondering who was, and why he was here at her uncle's mansion at midnight. Still curious, her eyes looked up at his face which was framed by the darkness of the night. He had a small smile on his lips, and his eyes (a rare shade of blue and green) seemed to light up with undisguised interest when he was watching her. She found herself blushing despite the situation and she looked down and away from the clearly handsome man before her.

"Hi.." he said suddenly breaking the silence and Sam found herself being calmed by the sound of his smooth, rich voice. He took another step closer to her, his hands placed in the pockets of his black wool trench coat. "I'm…" he sighed looking down. "I'm sorry for your loss." She looked up and nodded, knowing that he was talking about the death of uncle. "Thanks..." she whispered.

He gave her a small smile. "By the way I'm detective Scam. I'm investigating the disappearance of your uncle," he said and her eyes turned to look at the silver badge that he held out to her, along with his I.D. card.

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Isn't the police already investigating this case?" He nodded crossing his arms over his chest and smirking inwardly when he heard what she said. This girl certainly wasn't as dense as he thought she might be. It didn't matter though, soon she would be too frightened to think straight. He would personally make sure of that. "Yes…they are but.." He shrugged. "I was sent here just to protect you."

She blinked. He was here…just for her? Why? Sam gulped before speaking to him. "Why would I need to be protected?" Tim avoided her eyes for a moment before letting out a small sigh. "People believe that your uncle was killed in this house…Or that he went missing in his house. As I'm sure you can tell, everyone is concerned about your safety." She nodded suddenly feeling aware of the obvious danger surrounding her. Tim had to work hard to fight his growing smirk turning it into a concerned frown instead. She couldn't know how happy he was to see her frightened already. "Don't worry. You're in good hands now miss Simpson," he said with a small smile directed at her.

She returned the smile and whispered a thank you. "You can call me Samantha or Sam, Detective." He smiled politely. "Then you may call me Tim." She nodded trying hard not to notice the way his eyes glistened in the moonlight. He motioned towards the mansion with his hand. "Shall we?…It's really dark out here." She smiled and followed him inside the mansion. Sam watched him from the corner of her eye wondering whether or not she should ask him the question that was bothering her. "Hmm Detec- Tim…do you know what happened to my uncle?" She bit her lip while wondering how to phrase her thoughts. "Like… HOW did this happen? Who would want to hurt my uncle?" She looked down sadly. "He was just…such a nice person." Tim sighed giving her a reassuring smile. "I understand you need to get answers but I'm not sure you really want to know what I think."

She suddenly went silent as she listened to him. "Why not?" He sighed. "Let's just say…it's not something you'd believe in." Sam puzzled over his words wanting to ask him what he meant but was stopped when they reached the door of a room in the mansion. "This is your uncle Jerry's room…now your room." Sam gulped wondering if it was safe to sleep in her uncle's room. Not that she was scared…she was just a little worried. Then another thought occurred to her. _"Wait a minute…why is he showing me around? Where are all the servants? Uncle Jerry always told me about his loyal servants…where are they now?"_ She cleared her throat. "Uh Tim?" She said slowly while glancing around in case she had missed another human being walking around in the background. "Where are all the servants?" She saw his jaw tighten immediately and she wondered what was wrong. "Tim?" She asked again getting worried by his sudden silence.

"I didn't want to have to tell you this but.." He paused running his hand through his chocolate brown hair. "They left…because they believe this mansion is haunted." Sam froze on the spot, fear gnawing at her insides and her blood running cold. "…Haunted?" she said slowly. The rumours she heard couldn't be real…could they? He smirked discreetly seeing his desired reaction on her pretty face. "Right after Jerry disappeared in this very mansion…people began to say they heard and saw strange things." Sam gulped her throat going dry as he continued. "But when one of the servants was found dead and mutilated in this very mansion, tied to a wall and his blood staining the walls…" Tim paused while looking into her frightened eyes. "…Well all surviving workers immediately got out. No one wanted to stay here anymore."

Sam drew in a shaky breath and gulped and he smirked inwardly as he watched fear showing clearly on her face. Of course this mansion wasn't haunted. The only ghost here was well…him. He had enjoyed personally killing off five of Jerry's loyal servants. The amount of creativity he had put into the murders was something that amazed even himself. But then again, he would do anything in his power to win.

"Do you think this place is haunted?" She asked innocently watching him with fear in her eyes. "I'll protect you even if it isn't," he said suddenly and Sam smiled yet at the same time she felt afraid. Sure she had Tim Scam to protect her but…people died here. Her uncle disappeared here. She sighed not knowing what to do. She was all alone now, and she found herself wishing even more that Kevin was here. She would have to call him again tomorrow morning to tell him how badly she needed him here. "_But.." _she gave the detective a glance._ "I do have him here…but I don't know him at all...but he said he'll protect me, and he is an officer. I can trust him, and I don't really have a choice." _

"I'll be downstairs if you need me," he said suddenly and Sam's eyes widened. "Wait you're staying here?" He nodded. "I know you don't really know me…this can't be easy for you, but it's for your safety." He sighed. "The agency I work for doesn't want you alone." He paused then added with a small smile. "You can trust me." She nodded her head slowly before placing her hand on the handle of the door, turning it to go in. "Goodnight...officer," she whispered before going inside and closing the door. The last thing she saw was the warm smile on his face.

He held up his smile until he heard the door close and the lock click into place. Then his smile faded and a glare and frown replaced it, showing how he really felt. He knew she was going to turn in for the night and get some sleep. He sighed, unfortunately for him sleep was not an option. He would not be getting much sleep tonight. Tim smirked before he walked downstairs. But that was okay really, because tonight…she wouldn't be sleeping either.

* * *

She awoke in the middle of the night at about four o'clock, because she thought she heard a whisper in her ear.

_**Again**_.

Rubbing her arms she sat up in her bed. This was ridiculous. This was the fifth time she had woken up tonight all because she heard some movement somewhere or the wind rushing hard outside her window. "This is stupid. There are no ghosts here. Uncle Jerry wasn't killed by a ghost" Sam said out loud thinking of what her best friend Kevin had said. Everything had a rational explanation, and there was no ghost here but… She bit her lip now thinking of what Tim Scam, the detective had said.

Her stomach tied in a knot and she shuddered, as she thought what it would be like to die at the hands of a ghost. Like that poor servant…"No." Sam said. "No this is wrong. There is no ghost." But she still found herself jumping when thunder flashed outside. Why did it have to rain tonight? She sighed and thought about her options. She was honestly just considering selling this house and never coming to England but Kevin had told her to go. He had told her that this estate was her parents' fortune and she had a right to keep it. And so she was stuck here in this.. she gulped. Possibly haunted house where people went missing and died.

Feeling her throat go dry she realized she needed a drink of water if she even wanted to attempt to sleep. Throwing the covers off her body she swung her legs off the side of the bed and stood, grabbing her robe and putting it on before she began to walk down the stairs. She gulped looking around the mansion at the walls covered in paintings of her ancestors, most of which she did not recognize. In the dead of the night though, those faces seemed scary. Everything seemed scary about this place. It certainly didn't feel like home.

Somewhere from behind a wall, she was being watched by Tim Scam. A smirk was set on his lips, bloodlust and amusement mixed into his deadly gaze. And he couldn't stop smirking because he knew she was about to lose her sleep altogether as soon as she walked into the kitchen.

Sam walked into the kitchen walking over to a cupboard to get a glass, while trying hard not to think about ghosts. She then made her way to the sink filling her glass with water. She sighed taking a sip and relaxing when her parched throat was relieved. Looking around in the darkness she sighed taking another sip before she stopped suddenly. She brought her head up and her nose scrunched up as she thought she smelt something off. There was a musky, heavy scent in the air, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. She quickly took another sip of the water before her hand reached out to turn on the light. And when the light came on, her eyes widened and she screamed at what she saw.

_**Blood.**_

And it was everywhere. Sam spit out water and backed away in horror when she saw blood leaking out from the cracks in the brick wall. It oozed out, trailing down the surface of the wall and falling to the ground. Sam screamed, dropping the glass and slipping on both the water and blood which had now made its way under her bare feet. She screamed again and glanced around in panic looking at the blood gushing out of the walls and staining the white tile floor. Sam screamed lifting her cream night robe to her knees and squeezing the blood out of it with her hands. She felt tears running down her face when she saw her own hands now covered with blood. Who's blood was this? Where was it coming from? Trying hard not to think about the many rumours about this mansion being haunted she raced out of the room still shaking and screaming. Not knowing what else to do she pounded her fist against the door to the room the detective had told her he was staying in.

"Tim!" She screamed hoping he would hear her panic and wake up. "TIM!" Inside the room Tim Scam was wide awake, sitting up in his bed and smirking when he heard her screaming, panicked outside his door. He sighed contently satisfied that his sleepless night had paid off. Scam smirked again before unbuttoning his shirt halfway, pulling at the collar to give it a dishevelled look. He raised his hand slowly ruffling his hair to give the effect that he had been sleeping all night. Then he got up making his way to the door, after listening to her scream for another moment, amused with the rising desperation that he heard in her voice.

Outside Sam kept knocking on his door praying he would wake up. She bit her lip, her heart sinking when she thought he couldn't hear her. She was about to give up when the door opened slowly revealing a tired and sleepy looking officer. "Sam?" He said rubbing his eyes. "Is everything okay?" Feeling bad for disturbing his sleep she sighed looking down and missing his smirk. "I saw blood in the kitchen.." she said slowly, while trying to keep the panic out of her voice. He probably thought she was crazy. "You what?" He asked, suddenly wide awake and he moved to hold her by the shoulders. Looking into his eyes she saw panic and she knew that he would believe her. Taking a deep breath she spoke again. "I saw blood."

His face was tense and he paused for a moment in thought before making his way towards the kitchen with Sam following behind him. When they got there Sam watched his eyes widen at the mess of blood coating the walls of the kitchen. "Oh my.." he said trailing off and Sam looked down feeling herself shake from fear. Scam gave her a sidelong glance and smirked inwardly at how pale her skin seemed now. The way she was clutching her arms and shivering proved that she was frightened by what she saw.

Of course this much blood would scare anyone, except him. Of course he had enjoyed setting this up and using the blood he had drained from Jerry and the dead bodies of the poor workers who chose remaining loyal to him over their own lives. His eyes glinted sadistically but she was too busy staring at the blood to see his amusement at her fear. Too bad for her there was so much more to come. He wasn't going to stop until he scared her enough to want to have nothing to do with this estate. Not until she was cowering in her sleep and dying to escape the nightmare he was slowly unfolding for her. And he would win, there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.

"How could this have happened?" she said slowly with her voice shaking, while her eyes remained glued to the gruesome sight before her. "I…I don't know.." he said averting her eyes and knowing that she would question his behaviour. Sam blinked sadly and gulped. Were there really ghosts in this house? Where else did all this blood come from? She shuddered while trying to ignore the goose bumps rising on her skin.

Taking a step closer to the detective for her own security Sam drew in a shuddering breath. "Has this happened before?" she asked closing her eyes to shut out the blood-soaked room before her. He smirked inwardly, celebrating because he knew this was getting to her but he spoke in a whisper with his face impassive. "Some servants said that they saw something like this before. Sam.." He sighed and she could see his jaw tense and that made her stomach knot in worry. Was she in danger?

Scam sighed shifting from foot to foot. "I don't want to scare you but…the worker that died in this mansion said he saw something very much like this before he died." Sam gasped, her eyes going wide immediately at this new tidbit of information. She looked up at him in shock. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" Scam sighed. "I wanted to tell you but I didn't want to put ideas in your head. That's not my job miss Simpson. I'm here to defend you and try and figure out what happened to Mr. Lewis." Sam sighed rubbing her arms and shivering. "Do you think there are ghosts in this place? she asked, repeating the same question she had asked him earlier.

Sighing, he pretended to be in thought while his mind was dancing in joy at how well she was reacting to her first "ghostly" encounter. She watched a concerned frown form on his face before he sat on his legs to get a better look at the blood on the floor. He narrowed his eyes before he stood, walking over to the kitchen counter and grabbing a spare glass. Sam watched him take a little of the blood in the glass.

"I'm going to take this for analysis. A test should tell us if this really is what it looks like." He sighed then gave her a small, tired smile when he saw her fear-stricken face. "Don't worry Samantha, it's possible that this isn't even blood." She nodded at his efforts to ease her fear before she made her way back upstairs to her room while telling herself that he was probably right. But she couldn't deny that the last thought she had before she closed her eyes was that maybe, that really was blood seeping from the mansion's kitchen walls.

* * *

The next morning, Sam sat at the dining table eating the breakfast the detective had brought for her. But every time she went to take a bite of her apple her stomach churned at the sight of the apple's red peel. Images of the bloody kitchen walls flooded through her mind. Biting her lip she put down the apple drinking the coffee instead. Sitting across from her Scam was reading the morning paper but his eyes glanced at the girl sitting in front of him from time to time, while he smirked at her behaviour. Of course he noticed how she ate everything but the shiny red apple he had brought for her on purpose. If she kept this up it would take him no time at all to manipulate her into selling this mansion. And when she did that he could finally get the money owed to him. But he knew he still had a lot of work to do because he had just begun to haunt her, he had a long way to go to get to his goal.

Sam glanced at the officer before her, noticing how calm he was. On the other hand she was still shaking in fear from the events of last night. She had spent an entire sleepless night because of what she saw. She needed to know what was going on. With her hand still shaking slightly she pulled out her cell phone ready to dial Kevin's number to tell him that he had to come here right this instant. Scam saw the object in her hand and he spoke making her stop midway in her task of dialling the number.

"Phoning a friend?" he asked with a warm smile on his face. She smiled and nodded. "Yes. I'm calling my best friend Kevin." Scam put down the newspaper and turned his attention entirely on Sam. "What does your friend do…if you don't mind me asking." Smiling she shook her head. "No it's okay. Kevin is a police officer." She watched his expression of joy change into a passive one before he hid his face behind his newspaper. Although she didn't know it Scam was seething. There was no way he could let a cop come here right now. Especially not this early, Sam didn't believe this place was haunted yet. She needed to believe that, completely if he wanted to get her to sell this house. This "Kevin" was bad news. If he began to investigate Jerry's case Scam knew it would be trouble, especially because of his falsely donned identity as a private detective. He drew in a breath trying to relax himself before he heard her soft voice a moment later. "Tim…what's wrong?"

He smirked behind the paper realizing that she had seen his frown at the mention of this cop. He half expected her not to notice or not to care. But of course she was too naive, and obviously didn't know better than to care about people's feelings. He let out a sigh before putting down the newspaper and speaking in a passive tone, masking his anger. "If you feel the need to call back up go ahead." Sam blinked watching him. Was he angry? She continued to stare at him as he turned back to his paper hiding behind it. _"Yea…he's angry,"_ Sam thought with a sigh because she never meant to upset the man who was risking his life for her.

And then for reasons she couldn't quite understand she found herself smiling. He probably wanted him to be the one she should reach out to, which was what his job was anyway. She bit her lip remembering how she had reached out to him last night, and how easily he had taken care of the situation. She quietly watched him, hoping he would move the newspaper just a little so she could catch a glimpse of his handsome face again. Mentally berating herself for thinking that way about an agent who was trying to do his job she sighed before speaking. "... You know, I think I won't call him."

She didn't want him to be mad at her. She knew he was more than capable of doing his job as he proved to her last night. He sighed meanwhile smirking behind the newspaper. He loved how easily she could be manipulated, it made his life easier. She heard him speak in an icy voice. "It's your choice." Sam shook her head before sighing, now feeling guilty for spoiling his mood. "I'm sorry, I won't call him unless I absolutely have to, okay? I know you're staying here just to protect me." He put the paper down and gave her a small smile before turning back to reading the news now that his plan was safe and Kevin would not be coming anytime soon.

And because he was too busy reading the paper and celebrating in his head, he never noticed how her eyes were glued to him. Or the way she was blushing when she let her eyes take him in, and the way she bit her lip and smiled whenever he turned a page and put the paper down to take a sip of his coffee. No he didn't notice anything, because he was too busy planning for tonight and the next attack.

* * *

Scam couldn't help but smirk when he noticed her looking around apprehensively every time she walked around the mansion that night. He was amused with the changes he saw in her since her first horrific experience. As day changed to night, he chuckled inwardly while watching her glance around nervously. All because of one attack. One little attack, she wasn't even sure this place was haunted, yet she was already afraid to be alone. Scam gave her a little smile as he watched her sitting there on the couch reading a book, refusing to sleep yet. Of course who would want to sleep in a haunted house? A few moments later he excused himself, telling her that he had to sleep now. He didn't miss her face become considerably paler as he exited the room leaving her there all alone sitting on the couch in the grand living room. He turned to look at her before he left. "Are you okay?" Sam faked a smile and nodded slowly while adjusting her blanket around her legs. "Yes I'm fine, good night officer."

He turned around, smirking before leaving the room and heading towards his own room giving the impression that he really was going to bed. Once he got inside, he smirked locking the door before walking over to where his bed was. Leaning down he pushed back a lose panel on the wooden floor and smirked seeing a hidden handle to a trap door. Opening the door he lowered himself into the hidden room and chuckled quietly when he saw what was hidden there. Walking over to the large storage freezer, he smirked before opening it and smiling at the amazing job he had done at preserving this body.

Carefully he pulled the body out, it was solid ice now but it was perfect for his use. Scam smirked dragging the body with him through a back door in his room, with a set of stairs that led straight to her room. He climbed the stairs without making a sound and he chuckled sadistically when he thought about the trauma that Sam would go through this evening, whenever she chose to go to bed. Once he put everything in place he walked back to his room and relaxed, with a smirk on his face while waiting to see her reaction.

Downstairs Sam sighed before closing her book and moving off the couch. Her eyes felt so heavy that she simply could not stay up anymore. Dragging herself up the creaky stairs of the old mansion she yawned before opening the door to her room. Once inside, she placed her book on the table and sighed when she felt that her throat was dry. But she could not find the courage to go downstairs to the kitchen alone, not after what happened last night. Deciding she could sleep with a dry throat after all she moved to get into her bed only to stop dead when she saw that there was someone else sitting in her room, on the wooden rocking chair by the large balcony window.

Sam paused in shock, her hands gripping the edge of her blanket. She gulped feeling her blood run cold from fear before she relaxed. Maybe the detective was in her room? Sam carefully walked backwards towards the light switch, trying not to make a sound so that whoever this was would not be alerted. If it was a thief she needed to make sure he didn't know she was in here. _"But what if it's a ghost?"_ Sam found herself wondering and hoping that was not true. She did not know how to deal with a ghost. More scared than ever she flicked the switch and focused her attention on the person seated on the chair. She felt relief and colour flood to her face when she saw who sat there. She could not believe her eyes. Was it really him?

Sam threw her hand over her mouth in shock. Taking a step closer she gasped. It was him. "Uncle Jerry!" She felt hope building up inside her. All those rumours were false! Her dear uncle was alive! There was no ghosts in this house, no one murdered her uncle. He was alright. She smiled walking closer to him while noticing how pale he looked even with the lights on. His skin had a white tinge that was set all over his body, his mouth was set in a straight line, and his eyes were staring forward looking fixedly at the wall. Was he alright? Sam stopped when she was about a foot away. He didn't seem like he was moving much at all.

"Uncle Jerry?.." she said slowly with concern in her voice. Sam narrowed her eyes, worried when he didn't answer her. "Uncle?" she said louder hoping he would hear her. When he didn't answer her she realized he wasn't up. He could be sleeping or unconscious maybe, even if his eyes were open. She smiled happy with the fact that at least he was safe. She felt a huge grin break out on her face when she realized everything was okay. All she needed to do was go downstairs and tell the detective. He probably knew what to do now, he would know how to help Jerry.

She raced down the steps and smiled when she got to his door. Taking a few breaths to calm her breathing she knocked on the door and she grinned when he opened the door and rubbed his eyes. "Yes Sam?" She smiled harder before pulling the door open more and grabbing his hand, pulling on it to make him follow her. "Where are you taking me?" he asked both curiously and sleepily. She smiled again while walking over to the staircase that led to her room. "You have to see this Tim! I can't believe it but he's okay!" He stopped suddenly and she was forced to stop when he stopped walking. "Wait Sam…what are you talking about?" She sighed and turned around to face the confused detective behind her.

"Remember all the things people said about this house? That uncle Jerry was killed? That he disappeared?" She watched him nod slowly, obviously not seeing where she was going with this. Sam smiled, and happiness could be seen in her eyes when she took a step closer to him. "Uncle Jerry is alive Tim. He's…in my room upstairs." She watched his sea-foam eyes widen considerably when he heard what she said. "What?.." He asked while he continued to grow paler. She gave him another smile. "He's asleep upstairs. Come on Tim, I'll show you." She began to turn to walk up the stairs only to stop when he reached out and grabbed her by the arm, spinning her around slowly to face him. She watched him curiously with a raised eyebrow wondering why he was stopping her. Scam frowned. "Are you SURE you saw Jerry?" Sam blinked before nodding. "Of course. I would know my uncle anywhere," she said with a small smile lighting up her face.

But her eyes narrowed when she noted he wasn't smiling. No his face was far from happy. There was shock in his eyes, and a concerned frown on his face. Now why did he look so worried? "Sam…" he said slowly while holding onto her arm. Inside he was amused, and a bit shocked that she took a corpse for a living man so easily. He had honestly expected her to think he was dead, as he truly was. But obviously she hadn't touched Jerry.

If she had she would have found that his skin was ice cold, the way a person's body got when there was no life left within it. She hadn't taken a good look at him either. If she had she would have noticed that his body had no colour at all, and that was simply because there was no blood left within it. Of course Jerry was dead, she just didn't know it yet. He felt himself smirking inside realizing he would be telling her that her dear uncle was dead, and he had all the evidence to prove it.

He broke out of his thoughts when he heard her quietly utter his name. "Tim?" He sighed still looking pale and avoiding her eyes before speaking in a whisper. ""He can't be alive Sam.." Her eyes narrowed and she stared at him in confusion. "Why not?" He sighed again and let go of her arm before walking into his room and returning with a file of papers. She watched him bite his lip before he hesitantly handed her the papers. "Here take these. You'll see what I mean." Taking the papers she sighed. "Honestly Tim what's going on? Why can't you just go check on Uncle Jerry? He's okay! I saw him with my own eyes!" she protested with a frown. Scam sighed. "Sam please read those papers." She blinked in confusion before opening the file but not before giving him another confused glance.

When she read the words her eyes widened so much she was afraid they would pop out. She drew in a shaky breath as she felt her blood run cold. If she had been scared before, she was downright horrified now. In her hands she held the results from the lab on the sample she had seen the detective take from the kitchen last night. Not only did the report confirm that the substance was blood, it also confirmed her worst fears. Sam could feel tears running down her cheeks as she clutched the report in her hand. The blood that she had seen last night belonged to her uncle Jerry. There was no way he could be alive. He was dead.

Soon she felt her body rack with sobs as she felt the tears continuing to fall from the hopelessness she felt in her heart. Jerry was gone. Her beloved uncle was gone forever. She began to fall because her knees would not stop shaking only to be held up by Tim Scam. He wrapped his arm around her waist holing her up and letting her lean her body against his. Sam cried softly while holding onto him and letting the file drop to the floor where the papers scattered and fell on the ground. "Why?..why didn't you tell me earlier?" she asked softy while she continued to cry. He ran his fingers through her hair trying to soothe her. "I'm sorry Sam..I didn't want you to find out like this. I knew it would break your heart." He held onto the crying girl who was now nodding in understanding and clutching onto him.

She pressed her face against his chest, seeking comfort from his warmth. And although she was crying she couldn't help but notice that he cared about her feelings enough to not want to break this news to her like this. But what could he do? She was bound to found out anyway, and she had in the worst possible way. Still crying she slowly separated herself from his body and closed her eyes trying to control her tears. He smirked when he saw that her eyes were closed, and he knew soon she would believe that the body she saw in her room was in fact a ghost, and she would be one step closer to believing that this house was haunted.

Scam watched her stop crying suddenly before she looked up at him with horror showing all over her face. But before she even said anything he knew she was going to ask about what she saw. _"How perfect"_ he thought while watching all the colour drain from her face. "Tim…" She said slowly, all the moisture now gone from her throat altogether. "I-If Jerry is d-d-dead…then who was up-upstairs?" she stuttered. He gave her a concerned smile before taking her hands in his and noticing how cold they were.

_**It really was amazing what fear could do to a person. **_

"It's all right Sam. You're safe," he said while holding her closely. She shook her head and whispered against his chest. "Is there a ghost here?" Scam smirked, hearing her quiet, muffled and scared voice saying the words he wanted her to say. He enjoyed that he could feel her fearful tremors pass through his own body from her constant shivering in his arms. Yes, she was frightened just the way he needed her to be. He rubbed her back but didn't answer her question until he heard her ask it again. He sighed. "I don't know Samantha." Her breath caught in her throat when she heard his words, and suddenly the mansion's walls were closing in around her and her head was spinning. The only reason she wasn't falling was because he was holding her in his arms. She didn't think she would ever feel safe in this place ever again.

He removed his arms from around her a few moments later and she shivered feeling the chill rise up on her bare arms. She rubbed them trying to hold onto some of the heat his embrace had given her. "You should get some sleep," he said suddenly and she found herself shaking her head furiously. She could not sleep, not when she knew there was a ghost here and one had been masquerading around in her own room. Scam kept his grin off his face while noticing that her sleep was forever ruined due to her fear of ghosts. He took a step closer to her instead. "Sam you're just scared. It's okay." He gave her a soft smile. "Come here."

She nodded before letting him wrap his arms around her. She needed comfort right now and he was really good at making her feel safe. To be honest he had been the reason why she hadn't run out of the house screaming last night after seeing blood pouring out of the mansion's kitchen walls. Feeling grateful for having him here with her she sighed and held onto him trying not to think of the many obvious dangers lurking in this house. She gulped. The many _ghosts_ that were hiding within this house. Suddenly she had no problem believing the idea that her uncle had been killed by a bloodthirsty ghost. How preposterous was that anyway?

She herself was already scared half to death. It was possible she would be dead right now if it wasn't for this man right here that was keeping her safe and away from harm. She frowned knowing that whenever she would tell him, Kevin would never believe that there were ghosts lurking here. No he would say that there was a rational explanation, and unfortunately for her ghosts didn't fall within it. He would tell her to stay here because this mansion was her right, but she honestly just wanted to run away and be rid of this place. Yet she knew Kevin would never agree. This knowledge only made her more grateful for having Tim with her, at least he didn't outright declare that there was no ghosts here, or that maybe she was going crazy. But then again how could he? He was right here living this nightmare with her, of course he knew what she was going through in a way that no one, not even Kevin, would ever know.

She pulled out of his arms when he let her go some time later. She gave him an adoring smile knowing he was there for her. Honestly what would she do without him? Tim smiled before speaking to her. "You should sleep in my room tonight," he said softly with concern in his eyes. Sam watched him and felt herself blushing despite what was going on here. Was he suggesting that they share a room? He sighed. "I'll take your room for tonight so that you're safe." Sam gasped shaking her head. No, she would not allow him to stay in the room where she knew there was a ghost. She was okay with sharing a room with him, it didn't seem like such a bad idea anyway. She felt safe when she was with him.

"No Tim.." she said softly while holding his arm. "I don't want you up there…it isn't safe. She clutched onto his arm harder while looking down. What if something happened to him? What would happen to her then? She needed him. He scoffed inwardly laughing at her. She was concerned for his safety. _"How very cute," _he thought. This girl was adorable. Here he was trying to scare her out of her own house, after successfully killing her uncle...and she was worried about him? Granted she didn't know any of these things so her concern for him was understandable. She was just taking care of the officer that was trying to save her life by risking his own. Scam smirked realizing that when it was put that way…he came out looking pretty good. Almost like a hero. But when he looked into her eyes and saw the concern and adoration there he realized that in her eyes he WAS her saviour. There was no question there.

"It's okay Sam.." he whispered with a smile making her look up at him. "I want YOU to be safe. That's most important here. Don't worry I'll be fine," he said gently before he gave her a small smile. "Hey I'll even bet the ghost is gone by now." He said attempting to make her smile and Sam let out a small laugh. "Okay..." She said hesitantly while giving him a long glance. Just how much was this man willing to do for her? She watched him from the corner of her eye while he led her to his room and personally tucked her in making sure she was calm before he shut the door and left. Then she could hear him mounting the steps that led to her haunted room. _"Thank you Tim," _she whispered before closing her eyes and finding comfort in his bed, which she failed to find in her own. And she smiled, blushing a little because she knew this was only because she could feel his presence here, and that made her feel safe.

Upstairs Scam smirked opening the door to her room and smirking when he saw Jerry sitting there faithfully where he had left him. He really obeyed orders better as a corpse. Smirking again he closed the door and locked it before climbing into bed. Tim watched Jerry's dead body for a moment revelling in the fact that he had been made the old man pay for betraying him with his life. Scam smirked before smiling sadistically. Looking straight into the dead man's lifeless eyes he chuckled. "Goodnight Jerry. Sweet dreams," he said mockingly before he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes peacefully, the fact that there was a dead body in this room not even bothering him for a moment. He didn't care. After all his hard work he deserved sleep, and so did Sam. He smirked in the darkness while he thought about the girl.

_**At least for now. **_

* * *

A knock on the door woke him up early the next day. Scam swore under his breath as he made his way to the main entrance, his eyes droopy from lack of sleep. Who could be here at this time of day? He yawned before opening the door, after opening the various locks he had placed there. Swinging the door open he saw a man standing there dressed in a police uniform, and for one moment he paused afraid that someone had found out about his plans until he heard Sam's voice from behind him identify the man. "Kevin!" Sam said with a smile, taking rapid steps to meet her friend. Sam smiled moving to greet her friend while Scam slowly looked at him.

Kevin who already appeared tired, wore a police hat over his short black hair, and even while he was talking to Samantha his blue eyes seemed focused on Scam. Faking a smile, Tim moved to let Kevin enter the mansion while wondering how on earth he got here. Had Sam called him? Feeling betrayed he glanced at Sam who only gave him a smile. He'd have to make sure to make the next haunting more horrific to make her pay for this, he was not pleased with this cop's arrival.

Scam hid his glare before shaking hands with Kevin. "And who are you?" asked Kevin and Scam was tempted to glare. He narrowed his eyes instead. "Didn't Sam tell you who I am?" he said in an icy voice while giving the redhead a small glare. Here he had thought they had been getting along just fine, but no she had to go call her cop friend. Kevin chuckled. "Sam hasn't talked to me ever since she arrived here. I came on my own." Scam really couldn't help his smile when he heard that. Good. Sam did listen to him, she did care about his feelings although he still didn't know why. He gave Sam a small smile, but he missed her blush when he looked away to address Kevin. "I am detective Scam. I've been assigned to this case." He sighed. "Actually I'm here just for Sam. After what happened in this mansion no one wants Sam to get hurt."

Kevin nodded in agreement. "Yes. That's why I'm here too." He turned to look at Sam. "How have you been? Is everything okay?" Sam bit her lip and looked down wondering what she should tell Kevin. Should she tell him about the ghostly encounters she had had? She doubted that he would even believe her, but she had to tell him. "I'm…fine," she said slowly before sighing. "Kevin there are some things you need to know."

She watched Kevin raise an eyebrow but she still hesitated to tell him until she saw Tim smiling at her as if encouraging her to go on. Actually the only reason Scam wanted her to tell Kevin was that maybe he would be scared to stay here, and maybe he would suggest that Sam sell the house for her own safety. Taking a deep breath she looked up at Kevin. "There have been some events in this place that lead me to believe the things said about this house." Kevin laughed. "What Sammie? You don't believe this mansion is haunted right? You can't believe that. We already talked about this." Sam gulped looking down, she knew he would never believe her.

Scam seethed when he heard Kevin laughing at Sam's fear of ghosts. Obviously he would have to convince him, but Sam's fear had to be renewed first. He was not going to let Kevin laugh this off. No he had worked much too hard already, Sam believed this house was haunted last night and now she was doubting herself because of her friend. Giving Kevin a glare Scam crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you calling her stupid?" he said accusingly. Kevin looked at him in shock. "What? I didn't say that!" Scam smirked. "Well obviously you think she's a moron for even thinking it." Sam smiled at Tim, grateful that he was standing up for her. Although she couldn't say that she was happy with Kevin at the moment. "Oh shut up!" Sam heard Kevin growl in response, and that only made her furious. Giving Kevin a stern glance she moved closer to Tim, standing by his side.

"Stop! You have no right to be so disrespectful to Tim. He's only protecting me," she said with narrowed eyes. Kevin rolled his eyes liking this detective guy less and less every minute. "Yea I'm sure he is. I'm also certain he's the one who's been telling you ghost stories." Sam gasped at what he was suggesting. "Kevin! That's enough! I don't want to hear it!" she said angrily. How could Kevin say something so ridiculous? Fixing him with a glare she put her hands on her hips and spoke angrily. "You're staying here now, you'll see what we're talking about with your own eyes, and then you'll know why I think there are ghosts here." Scam smiled at the girl standing next to him, inwardly amazed at the fact that she was yelling at her own best friend just for his pride and honour. Noticing her glare he also made another quick observation. She really was cute when she was angry.

Kevin sighed while trying hard not to glare at the man that Sam was defending. "Whatever you say Sam. I still say there are no ghosts in this place." No sooner had Kevin said those words that the large chandelier above them came crashing down, making Sam scream in terror and jump into Scam's arms, wrapping her arms around him tightly while she stared in horror at the fallen light fixture. Of course Sam and Kevin were both too busy to see Scam take his hand out of his pocket where he had pushed a button on a remote to make the chandelier fall, and too horrified to notice his smirk when Sam had jumped into his arms. Yes, he was in control here and even Kevin could not change that.

* * *

When night finally came Scam found himself more eager than ever to cause chaos, but with Kevin around he knew it wouldn't be as easy as it had been with just innocent Samantha. Thinking about how to carry on his next attack he moved around the mansion locking all the windows and doors as he did every night. Only this time he was being watched closely by Kevin, much to his annoyance. Kevin watched the man in front of him with scrutiny while pretending to listen to Sam talking. He had a feeling this detective wasn't as nice as he seemed, but Sam would never see that because she was much too gullible and trusting. Kevin narrowed his eyes thinking about another thing that had been bothering him ever since he arrived. Sam seemed to really like this Tim Scam. He wasn't sure if she noticed it, but just the way she looked at him radiated awe. She may not realize it but he could tell that she was falling for this guy, and that was not a good thing.

"Is he the one who locks the doors every night?" Kevin asked Sam, and Scam ignored him even though he had to admit Kevin was already getting on his nerves. So much so that if Sam wasn't his target, Kevin would be the one to be attacked tonight. Sam nodded with a smile. "Yea, Tim makes sure everything is safe." Kevin smirked. "Oh? And despite his careful actions you've still been attacked twice?" Scam froze at his task of locking one of the doors, his hand gripping the doorknob hard. Almost enough to crush it. A murderous glare was on his face but it could not be seen since he stood with his back towards them.

Sam sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you he saved my life, each time?" She frowned. "He's been looking after me as best as he can. I don't suppose YOU know how to deal with ghosts, do you?" Kevin sighed. "There are no ghosts here, end of story. There has to be another way to explain what you went through." Although Kevin didn't say it he had a strong feeling that the man Sam was defending and calling her saviour was the one behind these ghostly attacks. He was almost sure this guy was involved. Kevin had been a police officer long enough to know to trust his gut and it told him Tim Scam was a suspect. Sighing he knew that despite his theory, he had no proof so he would not even dare to tell Sam he doubted the detective. Because knowing her she'd get mad and make him leave. Also this man was a detective, it would not be easy to accuse a fellow officer, he would need lots of proof first.

"All done," Tim said calmly while smiling at Sam, making it look like he didn't notice Kevin's obvious dislike for him. It was okay, after all he hated Kevin too. "Thanks," Sam said smiling back at him while staring into his eyes, which (although she never told him) she found extremely beautiful. Sam blushed chasing away that thought and standing to go to her own room, but not before pausing in nervousness remembering the fact that she had seen Jerry's ghost there last night. Scam, seeing this smirked inwardly but walked over to her and smiled while holding her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, you're safe. Remember Sam I'm right here. Just call if you need me and you know I'll come running." She blushed and nodded knowing he would do just that. Standing a short distance away Kevin scowled watching the two of them. It made him sick. Couldn't Sam tell this man had something wrong with him?

Of course he didn't know what yet, but still. He had intuition and his intuition never lied. And right now his intuition was telling him that this man could not be trusted. If only he had arrived before, than maybe he would have been able to save Sam from this man's clutches. He cleared his throat finally getting her attention since she had been too busy bushing and staring into the detective's eyes. "I'm right here too Sam. I'm your friend. If you need help, just call me." Scam had to resist the urge to laugh at Kevin's obvious jealousy, it wasn't his fault Sam adored him so much. Smiling at Kevin and Tim, Sam moved to walk up the stairs, but not before noticing that Tim still held her hand protectively in his. And even though she was tempted to start some conversation just so she could have him hold her hand a bit longer, she knew he probably wanted to sleep. Blushing softly she drew her hand away from his, giving him a small smile before walking up the steps to her room.

Kevin turned to face Scam and smirked. "Good night detective," he said calmly knowing that he would be watching him all night now. There was no way he was going to get away with scaring Sam into believing ghosts existed here. Scam smirked back "Good night officer," he said while making his way into his room. He knew Kevin was onto him, so he'd have to wait and be careful about his next attack. But he was going to do it, and he would attack Sam again tonight. And this time it was going to be worse than anything she had ever experienced.

* * *

Scam smirked as he opened the door to Sam's room. When his eyes fell upon the sleeping girl's face he couldn't help but smile at her peaceful state. It really was too bad she would be restless and terrified soon. He wanted to get this over with fast but he knew he had to be careful. Despite locking Kevin's door from the outside, he knew Kevin would know if something happened to Sam. He had to be careful. Glancing at the clock he noticed that it was 3:00 am now, a lot later than he had planned to do this but at least Sam was fast asleep. Carefully putting down his equipment which consisted of several knives short and long, ropes, and a black blindfold he moved closer to Sam. When he was standing right next to her he leaned down and waved his hand in front of her face making sure she was asleep. Pausing, he gently shook her half expecting her to wake up. To his good fortune Sam was a heavy sleeper.

Smirking he picked her up in his arms and placed her down on the carpet on the floor, not knowing where else to put her. Grabbing two large swords, Scam crawled under her bed and smirked before arranging two large katana like blades to stick out from under her bed. He held one sword before pushing it through the wooden frame of her bed and through the soft mattress she had just been sleeping on in one swift movement, it being easy for a man with his strength. He pushed the other one up a short distance away, forming a rectangular frame made from swords on her bed.

Using the imprint left from her body as a guide Scam pushed several more knives through the mattress, some pointing out of the mattress, and other's ripping into it making it appear as it she had been attacked from several different places at once. He left some space in between the knives and smirked before setting up the last five blades he had brought in. They were large swords, but not as big as the katanas were. They were just short enough to fit barely under the bed, standing blade up. Scam had been working with these for a while now, and he was sure he could pull this off. Balancing the five swords under her bed (each on top of remote- controlled metal springs that were hidden beneath five small panels on the floor) he crawled out from under the bed and stood while smiling at how his work was paying off.

The bed now looked almost like a bed of nails, only it was knives he had used instead. Taking a remote control out of his pocket he walked over to where Sam lay on the floor in her deep slumber. Placing the remote on the floor he sat on his knees, before placing his hands over Sam's ears not wanting her to hear him test his plan. Using his knee he pushed the button and soon after there was a whooshing sound and one of the five swords had ripped through the frame of the bed, thrusting out through the top of the mattress its' sharp tip gleaming along with the others. Smirking in satisfaction Scam grabbed the pile of ropes and tossed them closer to the foot of her bed. Reaching down he carefully pulled Sam into his arms before picking her up and carrying her back to her bed. He put her down gently, making sure the knives did not touch her even though the blades were only three inches away from her body all around her.

When she was placed into the frame of knives he picked up one of the ropes and picked up her left hand with his other arm. Tying her wrist with the rope he set it down and pulled the other end of the rope to the bedpost closest to her hand. Wrapping the rope around the bedpost, he smirked pulling on it to lift her arm into the air above one of the knives and he tied it there with several knots so that her arm would not move even if she struggled. He moved around to her right side securing her left arm to the other bedpost and then her right foot, and finally her left foot. He smirked taking a step away to see her body form a perfect **X** on the bed.

Knowing she was helpless now he chuckled lightly before running his hand over one of her arms, then absentmindedly over the smooth skin of her collarbone and moving upwards and rubbing her delicate skin with his palm when he reached the top of neck. When she let out a small moan he froze and waited for her to relax. When he was sure she was completely asleep he grabbed the last article he had brought to her room. He moved over to her and placed the black blindfold over her eyes, smirking as he did so because he knew her hands would not be free to pull it off.

He stepped away a moment later and smirked looking at her all tied up, along a frame of knives, blind-folded and helpless. _"Such a pretty sight,"_ He thought in amusement while his eyes trailed over her porcelain skin and the silver and black knives that danced along it. Wondering what to use to wake her up when it was time Scam smirked seeing a pretty glass vase sitting atop an antique drawer. It was about three feet in size and he knew that it would make a lot of noise if it were to fall. Attaching a small control chip on it, he smirked before he set up his remote to allow it to fall whenever he pushed the button. Smirking one last time at the sleeping girl he exited the room, knowing she would be up and screaming in no time.

* * *

The loud shattering of glass was what woke Sam up a half hour later, in a fit of panic. She opened her eyes wondering what on earth had made that noise when she froze realizing that she could not see the ceiling of her room. In fact she couldn't see anything. Gulping she moved her head in panic before moving her hand to rub her eyes. Only her hand never moved. Sam panicked pulling her arm again only to feel that it was being held back by something. Breathing heavily she pulled her other arm only to find that she could not move that either.

Sam gasped trying to kick in protest only to have her eyes widen when she realized her legs too were useless. And when she thought this was the worst that could happen she found herself screaming when she felt something hard and cold touch her arm. It felt like metal. Sam screamed hard when she heard a whoosh sound and then she felt her shirt ripping at her side. And suddenly she knew exactly what made that kind of sound. Swords were what made those sounds. She screamed her lungs out, twisting and writhing in her attempt to free herself from this deadly nightmare. Sam felt tears of fear run down her face before she screamed Tim's name hoping he would hear her screaming and save her life.

For the next five minutes Sam screamed until her lungs felt they would burst, and her ears only heard the sounds of her desperate cries and whooshing swords ripping parts of her clothes and ripping through the mattress she lay trapped on. Downstairs Scam could hear Sam screaming but he only chuckled hitting the remote one last time to let the last sword thrust out from under her bed. This one would shoot out from under her beautiful red hair, which he had been sure to fan out around her pillow. He smirked when he heard her scream even louder when she had realized this blade had almost touched her face.

Taking a deep breath Scam got up when he heard Kevin muttering curses and trying to break down the door. Of course Kevin wasn't going to save Sam, he was going to do that as always. Smirking slightly when he passed Kevin's room he raced up the stairs screaming Sam's name in utter panic showing her exactly how much he cared about her. Sam stopped struggling when she heard _his _voice calling her name. She heard him taking rapid footsteps and running up the stairs. Then she heard the door open and him run into the room. "Sam!" He screamed after turning on the lights and moving towards her. He smirked assessing his work. Scam loved the effect the knives had created on the bed. There was large holes in the mattress where the knives had shot up from, and bits of fluff from her soft mattress was flying everywhere in the room. His eyes settled on the last sword that was embedded next to her head , through her hair. He could see the white feathers from her pillow covering parts of her hair and flying around the room along with the bits of fluff from her destroyed mattress.

Bits and pieces of her clothes were torn off her body and sticking out of the ends of the swords, and he knew this had been a particularly physical attack. Scam found his eyes lingering on her slightly exposed pale skin. Her stomach, now revealed was a beautiful creamy colour just like the rest of her skin was. She really did bring light to this dark room. Her lovely red hair, although now a tangled mess was still fanned out around her and he noticed how dark and beautiful it was. It didn't take him long to realize that even while tied up and terrified this girl was beautiful. No, he had never once imagined Jerry's niece would be so…pretty.

Sam gulped wondering why he wasn't moving to help her yet. Had she imagined his voice in her fit of panic without him actually calling her? Assuming the worst she screamed his name hoping he was there not knowing that Tim was in fact standing right in front of her, not moving to free her only because he struck by her beauty. He shook his head and mentally berated himself before he frowned and moved to free her after calling her name so that she would stop screaming. Taking out a small pocket knife he slashed the ropes on her legs while finding himself touching her cool skin as much as he could. Scam pulled the rope off her left foot and brushed his fingers against the slight marks the rope had left on her ankle while making her shiver from the warmth his fingers brought to her. He almost wished she hadn't struggled so much, her skin didn't look so pure with marks ruining it.

Telling himself to get a grip he moved to her face and grabbed the sword that was shooting out from under her hair. "Don't move Sam" he said as he pulled out the sword in a quick swipe of his arm allowing her to move her head. Next he moved to her arms and untied them only to have her sit up and throw herself into his arms in a desperate hug. She sobbed into his chest and clung onto him while trying to get a grip on her tears. Pulling away from him she pulled off the blindfold only to gasp when she saw the state of her bed.

There were swords everywhere on the bed, ripping and tearing though the mattress where she had been trapped. She could see parts of her shredded clothing on the ends of some of the blades, and some strands of her hair where the sword he had pulled out had been. Sam felt herself shake before she limply fell into his arms, and Scam found it hard not to take advantage of this girl when she was obviously vulnerable. He found himself wondering if she was vulnerable enough to excuse his touch, because if she was he knew he would be touching her all he liked right now.

_**Which was a lot. **_

He rubbed her back attempting to calm her fears only to want to push away the fabric there and touch her smooth skin. He had to kick himself hard to get his mind back on track, and because Sam was busy crying she didn't notice when he did. "Sam?" he said while holding her close, a bit too close for just comfort but she didn't seem to mind. She shook her head and sighed. "Are you okay?" Scam said while wrapping his arms around her harder and keeping her to himself. "Yea...I am…" she whispered. Her arms wrapped around him tighter. "Now that you are here." His breath almost caught in his throat when he heard her say that. Why did it sound like she was in love with him? He narrowed his eyes. Of course he would think that, he was looking for excuses to touch her just a second ago after all.

Scam sighed before pulling away from her and moving his arms to pick her up from the bed. Picking her up bridal style, he stood and carried her to a leather chair. Shuddering from fear, Sam wrapped arms around his neck tightly while getting as close to him while she could as he carried her in his strong arms. Setting her down he gave her a smile to calm her down while noticing how pretty her emerald eyes were. She smiled back as he wiped away her tears and leaned in to hold her chin in his hand. She sighed looking into his eyes, finding comfort in them as always. Still she knew this was no simple haunting. This had been an attempt on her life. She could have died, a sword could have cut through her skin, could have shot up through her heart.

Trembling she bit her lip before wrapping her arms around Tim's neck again and keeping him close. She needed comfort right now. Taking a breath she looked up at his face. Her scared emerald eyes stared into his comforting sea-foam ones, and soon she felt her eyes closing as the little space in between their lips grew smaller and smaller. He felt her ragged breaths hover over his lips before he closed his eyes. She was much too close now for him to resist. Sam sighed, light-headed as she touched his smooth face with her hands before her fingers dug into his soft brown hair and her nose brushed against his. And Scam could feel his lips almost touch her soft pink ones before a sound at the door made them stop and pull apart. He had to work hard not to glare when he saw Kevin standing angrily in the doorway.

Had he seen their…almost kiss? Scam glanced at Sam to see her looking down and away from both him and Kevin. And where he could have sworn he had seen passion flickering in her eyes just a second before, now there was only fear in its place. "Sam?" Kevin said with panic in his voice as he moved closer to her making Scam move away. "Are you okay? What happened?" She sighed before her eyes glanced at the bed and Kevin followed her gaze, his own eyes widening as he saw the death trap that sat there. "Oh my.." He breathed out looking at the swords and Scam had to stop himself from smirking at Kevin's astonishment. That being easier than it normally would have been because he was still trying to recover from the feeling of almost kissing Samantha.

She sighed making them both look at her. "Do you still think there are no ghosts here Kevin?" her voice was shaky as she said the words, and it was easy to tell she was terrified. Kevin looked down not really knowing what to say to his friend. She had almost been killed tonight and he hadn't been there to save her. Then again his door was jammed, but if he told Sam that she would probably say that the ghosts did it by this point. So he kept his mouth shut while listening to her quiet, shaky breaths. Sam wasn't safe here now, she would never feel safe here again and Kevin knew that.

Yet, he still wasn't convinced that ghosts were what attacked Sam and locked his door. If there really were ghosts here then why didn't they stop Tim Scam from rushing to Sam's rescue? He always seemed to get there in time. Kevin sighed knowing he should be grateful that Sam was safe, but he still doubted Scam. For some reason he felt like he was hiding something, but why would a detective attack Sam? Knowing that now was not the time to bring this up to Sam, who was already shaking in fear he smiled instead thanking the detective for saving her life before he helped Sam stand up from her chair.

"It's okay Sam. You're safe. You just need some good night's rest." Sam shook her head her eyes widening at the thought of sleeping on a bed. "No! No! I'm not going to sleep!" she said while pulling her hand out of Kevin's hold. How could he even suggest sleep right now? She had almost been slaughtered in her sleep! Kevin sighed. "Sam, you need rest." She shook her head stubbornly and rubbed her arms while pacing away from him. She only stopped when Scam put his hand on her shoulder making her stop and look up at him. "He's right Samantha...you need to sleep." She gasped before pulling his hand off her shoulder.

She had thought at least he would understand how she felt. Sure Kevin was the sceptical officer who didn't believe in ghosts, but Tim? He was supposed to be on her side! "No I don't!" She screamed earning a frown on Scam and Kevin's faces. Tim sighed before speaking. "Yes you do Sam. I know you are afraid but you still need sleep." Although Sam knew she was tired she shook her head furiously, being more scared than she was sleepy. Tim placed his hand on her shoulder again while noticing how cute her pout was. "I am NOT sleeping alone in a room so that I can be attacked again!"

He smirked inwardly while knowing what to suggest to ease her fears. "You know you don't have to sleep alone. You could sleep in my room if you like." Sam blinked and stared at him with a slight blush on her face not noticing Kevin scowling behind her. "Out of the question!" Kevin snapped making Scam turn his attention to him. "Sam is not sleeping in your room. I won't allow it." Tim raised an eyebrow, keeping his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Would you rather she sleep alone? Don't you care about her life?" Kevin glared as he watched the detective. "Of course I do, but she doesn't have to stay with you. If Sam doesn't want to sleep alone…she can sleep in my room." Scam narrowed his eyes. "No she can not." Kevin crossed his arms over his chest. "Why not?" Scam glared. "Because Mr. Kevin Govinski, this is not YOUR case. It is my job to protect Sam and if anyone is going to watch over her then it's going to be me."

When Sam saw Kevin about to open his mouth the protest she cut in with a small smile. "Kevin it's okay. I'm safe with Tim.." she said while glancing at the detective and smiling. She could not deny that she felt safe around Tim Scam. He made her feel relaxed and happy, that was a feeling she needed badly right now. She also couldn't deny her attraction to him, she knew they had almost kissed before Kevin came in.

Her face burned as she thought about it. She really wouldn't have minded if Kevin hadn't come up to check on her tonight. Steering her thoughts away from the kiss she had almost shared with the man she idolized as her hero she looked at Kevin. "I'm going to stay in Tim's room…he knows how to protect me. You don't mind right Kevin? I feel safe with him." Kevin sighed but nodded knowing Sam wasn't going to change her mind. She was right about Scam keeping her safe even though he doubted the circumstances from which he saved her. "All right Sam, but if you need me I'm just a few doors down okay?"

Sam's face broke out into a smile, glad that Kevin wasn't going to fight with Tim over her staying in his room. Walking over to him she gave him a hug and Kevin returned it while glaring slightly at the detective who wasn't even looking at him. If he even touched Sam at all, Kevin knew he would make this guy pay. He didn't like the way Sam thought about this man and he knew she was vulnerable to him. And now that she would be sleeping in this man's room, he couldn't help but worry that she would submit to him one day.

Shaking his head he smiled. No Sam would never do that. She may like this man but she couldn't be in love with this guy. And for Sam to give herself to a man, she would have to be in love, that much he knew for sure about his best friend. Sam was much too smart to fall for a man she had just met a few weeks ago. He gulped then relaxed. And even if she wasn't, he would make sure Tim Scam would not touch her.

Giving Kevin another smile she walked down the stairs to the detective's room followed by Scam and Kevin. Kevin hesitantly said goodnight to his friend while trying not to worry about what the detective could do to her if he was involved with these attacks. It was very possible that Tim Scam was just a detective doing his job, yet on the other hand he could easily be someone who was trying to scare Sam out of this house. Kevin watched Sam go into his room and for one moment he wanted to stop her but he knew he could not. Watching the door close he sighed before walking to his own room slowly while praying that Sam was really safe with this man. He wouldn't be able to bear if something happened to his best friend and he wasn't able to save her.

Inside Tim's room Sam stood at the door looking down at her bare feet. She was now sharing a room with a man she liked very much, and despite the circumstances she couldn't help but feel her heart beat faster when she stared at the bed they would be sharing. She watched him place a row of pillows in the middle of the bed to divide it, and she couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was trying so hard to make sure she was comfortable with this. He sighed. "I'm sorry about this…I would sleep on the couch if there was one in this room." Sam shook her head. "No it's ok. I don't mind at all."

Scam smiled showing her fake concern before he moved back and allowed her to sit on her side of the bed. She sighed and looked at him while biting her lip and he knew she was worried. "You're still scared aren't you?" he asked while joining her on the bed, sitting cross legged on his side. "Yea. I'm pretty freaked out I guess. I mean when I heard those knives I thought I was going to die…until you came and saved me." Scam smirked inwardly knowing that he wasn't about to kill her anytime soon, he just needed her to be afraid. Afraid enough to sell this mansion. He watched her jump when the lightening flashed outside and he knew she believed in ghosts now. It wouldn't be long before she ignored Kevin's protests about this house not being haunted and left. Maybe only one more attack was needed to make her crumble altogether. And Scam found himself amazed that Sam, not even once had doubted him. Kevin on the other hand was another story.

"Well you should get some sleep," he said with concern in his voice before he lay down. "Good night Sam," he said with a smile and she smiled herself. "Night Tim," she whispered before letting herself close her eyes. He smirked when he knew she wasn't watching and closed his eyes, his mind still swimming guiltily with images of her as he fell asleep.

Even though Tim fell asleep quickly, Sam found that she could not close her eyes, and for once it had nothing to do with her fear of being haunted. Sighing she turned to her side and propped herself up on her elbow to look at him from above the neat row of pillows he had stashed in between them. Her mouth turned upwards into a small smile as she simply lay there next to him watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful while he slept, and she could see a smile playing on his lips and she found herself wondering what he was dreaming about. Her eyes rested on his lips and she noticed their colour and fullness, and then she remembered the kiss she had almost shared with him.

Sam blushed, blinking and keeping her gaze on him. She knew she had been the one to start the kiss but why? Was it because she was afraid and needed comfort? Or was it because she needed to feel…needed to know what it would be like to kiss the man she loved. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized why she possibly felt this way about him. Was she in love? She bit her lip and sighed. _"I only met him like…a week or two ago. How can I be in love so fast? This isn't like me." _Sam watched his handsome face and smiled. Then again he wasn't like any other man she had ever met. The feeling of security and safety she got from him was something she could never draw from anyone else. This man had risked his life for her multiple times now, and although she knew that was his job she didn't know why she felt that maybe he was acting out of more than duty.

"_Why does it feel like he goes out of his way to defend me?"_ Sam thought as she unconsciously moved some of the pillows in between them and came closer to him. She had never thought that in her time of despair she find a man like him to save her. Tim Scam was to put it simply…drop-dead gorgeous, incredibly brave and charming. And the fact that he was there just for her made her heart flutter and leap with joy.

She wasn't entirely sure if she was in love but she knew that she wanted to be close to this man. Very close. Biting her lip she berated herself but could not resist her urge to rest her body against his. Taking a deep breath Sam placed her head on his broad chest, stealing some warmth from his body for herself. She stayed like that for a few moments then pulled away even though she knew that if she could she would stay like that all night.

She sat over him and smiled before brushing a strand of hair away from his face only to gasp slightly when his hand moved up and held hers in a gentle grip. Sam blushed and bit her lip before trying to wiggle her hand out of his grip, and after a moment he let her hand go and she let out a sigh of relief glad that he was still asleep. She began to crawl back to her side of the bed but stopped and turned around to give him one last glance.

Noticing that he was in a deep slumber Sam wondered if she could get away with this one thing she had been wanting to do for a while now. Kevin wasn't here either, it was just Tim and her. She crawled back to sit over him and stared at him innocently before she leaned over so that her nose touched his. Taking a deep breath she moved her lips closer to his before she pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss.

Scam's eyes snapped open when he felt a light pressure against his lips. Looking up, his eyes widened when he saw that Sam was kissing him. Sam pulled her lips away from his, opening her eyes and blushing when she saw he was suddenly awake. She blushed harder and removed her arms from around him before sitting up and smiling. "Good night Tim," she whispered still staring into his eyes before she went back to her side and closed her eyes, falling asleep a moment later. He didn't sit up or even move because he was still in mild shock at what had just happened.

What in the world made her…kiss him? Noticing that the wall of pillows had been destroyed by her, he sat up and put them back, knowing he would need to keep his eyes off her to control his impulses. Why would she kiss him? Didn't she know he was dangerous man? That she should keep her distance? He sighed, knowing that answer himself. Of course she didn't know. He hadn't shown her the dark and evil side of him and she was much too innocent to figure him out all on her own.

Not really knowing how he felt he closed his eyes knowing her had to scare her out of this place before he actually began to care about this girl. Scam could not afford to do that, not after he had come so far. He needed to stick to his original plan. He needed to scare her out of her inheritance.

* * *

When night arrived the next day Sam was particularly nervous. Partly because she was always attacked at night, and partly because Kevin had gone out this afternoon and still not come back. He had told her he would be back soon but it had been several hours and the sky outside was pitch black now. She looked at the clock and sighed noticing that it was close to 10 o'clock, and she beginning to feel sleepy. Tim watched her with a smirk while she paced around the room. He had really been hoping to get her alone again ever since Kevin had arrived and he thought he would never get the chance. But Kevin had very conveniently been called by his senior officer and told to attend a meeting in the neighbouring city. Fate was with him tonight, and tonight was going to be the night when Sam would finally shatter with fear. She would sell this mansion in a heartbeat after she endured what he had been planning for her all day now.

Sam sighed again and looked at Tim, even though she hadn't spoke to him much after her impulsive actions last night. Finally finding her voice she spoke shyly. "I'm going to take a shower. Can you please let Kevin in when he comes?" Tim smirked inwardly dancing with joy that she was finally going to take her evening shower. _"Perfect,"_ he thought smiling at her and nodding. "Sure I will, don't worry Sam." Sam smiled trying not to melt into a puddle of mush when she saw his gorgeous smile. "Thanks," she whispered before going to take her shower.

Scam waited until she was out of sight before he walked over to the main door and locked its many locks shut. He smirked as he moved about the mansion making sure to seal every entrance, and barring every window making sure to pull the drapes close over them. There was no way Kevin was going to get into this place tonight, not after he was done with it. He smirked tossing the keys to the main door in the air before catching it and placing it in his pocket. Then he sat down on a couch and waited to hear the wonderful sounds of Sam's screams of terror.

* * *

Sam closed the door and sighed contently. Even though she was stressed out and more afraid than ever at least Tim was keeping her safe. She bit her lip, blushing softly. He was always there for her and she couldn't help but feel grateful. She smiled, her thoughts still lingering on him as she got ready for her shower. Detective Scam really was an amazingly charming and dedicated man. She simply could not believe how lucky she was for having such an incredible man in her life just to watch her and protect her.

She took off her shirt, and started to remove her other clothes before she moved to get into the shower. When she had first come here, she had thought she would be lonely, but once she got to know Tim Scam, she no longer felt lonely. She felt safe and content even though she was stuck in what she was very close to believing, was a haunted mansion. Every time she felt afraid he was there to hold her and make her feel alive.

Her face burned as she had another thought. She couldn't deny the fact that every time she was around him her heart seemed to beat faster, her knees seemed to shake and her mind would go numb from lack of thought. She knew that she was close to falling completely in love with him if she hadn't already. If only he could know what he did to her. Sam sighed shaking her head before stepping into the shower, after throwing her towel on the rack for later. "I need to get my mind off him, he's here to protect me for crying out loud! He's just doing his job!" She sighed while mentally berating herself to get a grip as she turned on the water. Sam ran her fingers through her hair letting the water soak her hair and allowing her mind to go blank, as she closed her eyes. She reached for the soap and smiled when her hand closed around it, she opened her eyes and blinked dropping the soap when she noticed something strange.

The water on the floor of the shower was red in colour. It was such a radiant and dark red that it was staining the white surface. Taking a deep breath Sam's eyes widened in shock when she picked up a scent that was becoming much too familiar by now. "No...this can't be.." She trailed off running her hand through her hair and staring at it. A thick, pure, dark red liquid stained her palm. She found herself screaming a second later when she felt more of this dark putrid liquid blasting down on her, and she realized she was literally bathing in blood. And soon her relaxing evening shower turned into a nightmare with her drowning in blood and trying to get away. The blood dripped down her arms and legs, it soaked her to the bone and slipped into her mouth making her spit out a mouthful in disgust.

She put her hand over her mouth, trying hard not to vomit as she struggled to turn off the tap. Blood was everywhere. The taste hung on her tongue, the smell clouded her nostrils and the colour danced in front of her eyes. She screamed every time she was blasted with a fresh new coat of cold, heavy blood. Sam found that she couldn't even turn off the tap with her cold and shaking fingers. Soon she felt hot tears of confusion and fear running down her blood covered skin, washing away some of the blood on her face.

She slipped in the shower, almost hitting her head on the edge. Sam struggled, throwing her hands up to try and block the blood from hitting her skin. But the blood never seemed to stop coming, and she was sure that if this didn't stop soon she would drown. Blocking her mouth and nose, she did the only thing she could do. Sam quickly crawled out of the shower and scooted as far away from the blood as she could before screaming for the only person who she knew could help.

"Tim!" She cried out, throwing her hands over her own ears trying to shut out the sounds of the rushing blood coming towards her, and her own desperate screams for help. "Tim!" She screamed again as she fell to the floor, no longer able to stand the shock. Soon fast, approaching footsteps could be heard racing towards the bathroom. A moment later she took a small breath as she heard _him _mutter a curse at the door being locked. Even though she was immobilized from fear she felt a small ray of hope building up inside her fear-stricken heart. It was Tim outside the door. After a few more mumbled curses she heard him kick the bathroom door.

It slammed open, banging against the wall, the echo of it running throughout the room joining the sounds of the gushing blood that still continued to fall. Scam's eyes scanned the bathroom and he smirked discreetly when he noted the condition of the bathroom. Even he had never expected this to turn out so good. He turned his head masking his smirk with a look of pure concern when he noticed Samantha huddled into a corner of the bathroom. She was sitting in a fetal position with her hands clamped over her ears. Her skin was almost entirely soaked in blood, and he could hear her muffled sobs. And although he wanted to smirk and celebrate because this latest attempt had worked so well he controlled himself and took a deep breath. Because right now he wasn't Jerry's enemy, he was Samantha's saviour. Racing over to her, he called out her name in panic. "Sam!"

Her sobbing reduced almost immediately and she looked up. The relief was clear on her face when she cried out his name and launched herself into his arms, clinging onto him for dear life. Sam cried with her face muffled against his chest, her fingers clutched at his shirt as she continued to hold him. Tim took a small breath as he heard her sob against him. He slowly wrapped one of his arms around her back, his other hand running though her blood soaked hair, and he tried not to smirk when he noticed how lovely her crimson locks looked coated in even darker blood. He slowly rubbed her back in a circular motion trying to soothe her, and noticing how soft her skin was even while it was covered in blood.

Sam choked on a sob and pressed herself against him, holding onto him and never wanting to let go. Her eyes were pressed shut and her hands held onto him almost aggressively. "Tim.." she whispered and soon her arms were wrapped around his neck but she never moved her body away from his. He was the only one who could give her comfort right now.

"Sam.." he whispered, raising her chin with his fingers so that she would look into his eyes. She gulped but looked into his eyes and relaxed when she saw his warm smile telling her she was going to be okay. But even before he smiled or said a word she knew she was safe now, simply because he was there with her. What would she do without him? With both fear and relief flooding her thoughts at the same time she felt numb and light-headed. Her heart was thumping hard from both fear and because he was near her. And when she moved her head slightly her lips brushed against his cheek, and it was at that precise moment she realized that he meant too much to her for words. She watched his lips form a frown of concern that was just for her as he reached down and picked her up, slowly carrying her away from the blood-littered room, that was making her nauseous.

Sam snuggled into his chest, trying to control her breathing and sobs. She noticed that his white shirt was now stained with the blood that covered her skin. And when they passed the bathroom mirror on the way out she blushed noticing that in her fit of fear she had thrown herself in his arms as the way she had been in the shower. Her face turned red as she tried to hide her bare body by pressing it into his, but he being the gentleman that he was, was not looking at her naked body. When they reached his room he put her down on the bed and immediately grabbed the blanket off the bed, helping to wrap it around her body. She bit her lip and blushed as she held onto the blanket as he sat next to her on the bed. And when her blushing was under control her tears from the incident before came back and flooded down her cheeks.

Even now she could feel the blood pouring on her skin making her curl up in fear and disgust. It was a feeling that was only faded when he had taken her in her arms. She found herself longing to be in his embrace again knowing that would help to ease her with the panic she still felt churning in her mind. Without thinking any further she fell against his chest and held onto him needing to draw from the only sense of comfort in this horrific place.

_**And that was him. **_

Scam watched her with narrow eyes, trying very hard not to look at her bare flesh although the task was becoming more and more difficult. He ran his fingers through her bloody hair and made her look up at him. "We need to get you washed off." Her eyes widened in panic. Despite being a bloody mess she refused to get into a shower in this house again. "No.." she whispered. "Please I can't." Scam smiled before speaking to her in a soft voice, knowing that his voice seemed to calm her down. "You can't stay like this. At least wash your hair. Here I'll help you." Sam stared up at him in awe wondering how he found the patience to deal with a crying, fearful girl like herself. She nodded before letting him lead her to another bathroom in the mansion.

Sam stared at the shower head in fear but he smiled turning it on to reveal crystal clear water. She smiled before he turned around and let her take off the blanket now stained with blood. She got into the shower and sighed as the warm water washed away the blood red stains on her body. She kept her eyes closed and rubbed her scalp with shampoo hoping the smell and colour of the blood would leave her hair. After a few moments of harsh scrubbing, she was convinced she was clean. Sam opened her eyes and moved to turn off the tap only to scream at the sight of a large black spider crawling close to her foot.

Scam's eyes widened in panic wondering what made her scream. He hadn't set up a trap in here. Was she in real danger? Without stopping to question anymore he moved quickly to the shower, determined to help her. He ripped open the shower curtain to find her screaming at the sight of a big hairy spider. He let out a sigh of relief knowing she was safe only to have her jump into his arms and press her bare body against his, clinging onto him desperately.

She knew it was stupid to be scared of a spider but that really didn't matter right now. Sam looked up a moment later, her gaze meeting his before she moved her arms to wrap around his neck. "Tim.." she whispered locking her eyes with his before she pressed herself against him even harder. If only he would kiss her, just once she knew her fears would disappear. Something inside him snapped when he saw her practically begging him to touch her. It was in her eyes, in the way she was pressing herself against him, the way she was whispering his name…

His head moved down suddenly, and before he could stop himself his lips crashed onto hers in a fiery kiss that shook her to the core. She gasped against his mouth when she felt him run his tongue over her lower lip before biting into it, demanding that she let him in.

_**And she did. **_

Sam locked her arms around his neck and kissed him back. They kissed several times, each following kiss only escalating in passion from the last. He wrapped his arms around her waist firmly and held her to him, gripping her close before he picked her up and carried her back to his room while still kissing her fiercely. He had been fighting temptation for a while now and even he could not resist her tonight.

Not thinking at all now he lay her on the bed and held her down with her arms even though he knew she would not stop what was going to happen. Scam watched her breathing heavily, trying to recover from their kisses while the lust and need only seemed to rise in her pretty emerald eyes. And he knew she wanted this, that she wanted him so badly. She looked up at him in a daze before whispering so softly that it was almost impossible to hear unless you were as close as he was to her right now. "I-.." She took another breath and licked her dry, and slightly swollen lips. "I...love you Tim." Scam watched her for a moment before he pushed all his thoughts, all his plans to the back of his head and acted on his impulses as he lowered down and covered her lips with his.

Sam's hands moved up his chest, roaming the muscular planes from over the cloth of his shirt before she grabbed the collar and pulled him closer with it until she could feel his body pressing firmly into hers. A moment later he could feel her shaky fingers hastily unbuttoning his shirt and he helped her with it, before pulling it off and tossing it aside. Sam pulled her lips away from his and smiled at him, her eyes glazed over all the while as she looked into his eyes. Still smiling, she slowly wrapped her left leg around his waist and pulled him closer with it, not really thinking about anything but the feeling she was experiencing right now at this moment.

_**And it was all that really mattered. **_

For some reason her mind was dancing with joy with what was happening. Her tears had dried and she could feel herself smiling against his lips whenever he kissed her. And she knew deep down that she had wanted this for so long now. Staring down at her with darkened eyes he leaned down and placed a kiss into the centre of her chest before crawling his lips over her breasts, kissing the skin he found there over and over again while he made himself familiar with the softness her flesh had to offer. No he no longer had to stare at her when she wasn't looking and berate himself about it, now she was right here with him, all alone giving him the chance to unhurriedly take what ever he pleased from her. Looking at the darkness of her eyes and listening the rhythm of her uneven gasps he knew she wanted this from him. She would never stop him, she would never even think to try.

Scam ran his lips over the side of her neck, noticing how nice her soft skin felt against them. He traced his tongue over the crook of her neck, tasting the skin he found there before biting into it and making her moan harder. She gasped out his name while moving her hands up his back, her fingernails digging into his flesh, her palms tracing over it noticing how smooth and warm his skin was. Only the warmth from his body could ever break away the constant chill the fear of being haunted had wrapped her in ever since the day she had arrived.

Sam's fingers dug into his hair as she held him close, never wanting him to stop. Scam kissed his way up her neck, his mouth biting and sucking a trail up her throat as he moved to kiss her lips when he stopped suddenly.

What was he doing?…

Tim frowned as he watched her laying there under him, clinging to his body and moaning out his name and he realized what he was doing here was… wrong. This couldn't happen no matter how badly he wanted it to. No matter how badly she wanted it to. If he got attached to this girl, his plans to scare her out of he inheritance would go to waste.

His mind wandered back to what she had said a few minutes ago. She said she _loved_ him. Scam was shocked but he knew that she was possibly confused. She was scared and vulnerable right now, and certainly not thinking straight and he was shocked to find that he cared. This only proved that he was already more attached to this girl than he should be. And he wanted to kick himself for ever being attracted to her because he knew this could never be.

He stiffened on the spot before separating himself from her body and tearing his gaze away. Scam drew in a breath trying to calm his racing nerves. Feeling the had had suddenly stopped Sam sat up blinking, looking at him in confusion. "What's wrong?" she whispered, reaching out to touch his arm and trying to come closer until he pulled himself away. Taking a deep breath he glanced at her. "We shouldn't be doing this," he said sternly.

He moved to grab his shirt only to stop when she placed her hand over his hand that he was using to pick up his shirt. "Please…" Sam whispered pleadingly, moving her fingers around his and holding his hand tightly in hers. She moved closer to him, letting her bare body rest against his before meeting his gaze. She bit her lip as nothing but the need for him coursed through her mind and body. She needed this comfort, she needed his touch to numb her senses. Staring deep into his eyes she made her honest confession. "I need you."

Scam could only stare at the innocent young woman that was clinging onto him desperately, nearly begging him to love her. Never in a million years did he expect something like this to happen and for once he didn't know what to do. He almost jumped when she hugged him while sitting up on the bed, pressing her naked body against his as tightly as she could. "Please Tim?" she murmured into the bare skin of his chest, breathing against it. "Please?" she said again with nothing but utter desperation in her rough, quiet whispers.

His jaw clenched as he sat there trying not to lose control. Clearly she was not thinking this through. Looking for a distraction, Tim ran his fingers through her hair absentmindedly wondering what to do when suddenly her arms snaked around his neck and her lips moved up to capture his. Sam carefully leaned her weight onto him making him slowly fall back on the mattress while she kept kissing him. She did not want to think right now. Sam didn't even want him to think right now. She would deal with this later, right now she just wanted comfort. She just needed this.

He groaned in frustration when he felt her lips moving fervently against his. His hands made fists of her hair as he tried to fight off his temptation. And it didn't take too long for him to realize he was getting no where. Suddenly images flashed in front of his eyes, all of them being of the woman that lay on top of him begging him to touch her. Scam could not deny that he thought she was beautiful, and the fact that she wanted him was enough to make any man snap.

_**Even him. **_

Shutting off his mind, Scam's wrapped his arms around her waist before he kissed her back almost aggressively. In the next moment he turned them over so that she lay beneath him, while he stared down at her intensely. Sam watched him in a daze, her mouth slightly parted as she took slow, panting breaths. They stayed that way for a moment, staring at each other and quietly listening to their uneven breaths before Sam arched her body against his and trailed her fingers up the back of his neck, slowly running them through his soft hair before he leaned down and kissed her passionately. And right then and there, Scam had decided he was tired of fighting this. He would deal with the consequences in the morning.

* * *

Scam lay awake in the middle of the night staring up at the ceiling of his room unable to sleep. His eyes glanced down and rested on the girl sleeping in his arms. The same girl that he had made love to just a few short hours ago. Sam was sleeping with a small smile on her face with her head resting on his bare chest, using it as her pillow. Under the sheets, he could feel her bare body pressed against his while she slept peacefully, reminding him of exactly what had happened between them. And now nothing was the same. He wasn't even sure if he needed to scare her anymore. If…he sighed. If she really loved him then she would never let him go. He could really just go along and marry her. The inheritance would still be his and he would still get his money. The only difference was that he didn't have to hurt anyone anymore.

To be honest this would be easier if it could work. But he really wasn't sure if she truly loved him. He knew that she had been weak and vulnerable when she gave herself to him tonight. But was it love? Scam sighed holding her closer, then smiling when she snuggled in closer to him in her sleep. He wouldn't mind spending his life with her and this way Jerry's death and his inheritance would always be kept a secret. But it really was up to her. He sighed closing his eyes and letting himself sleep wondering if she loved him enough to want to spend her life with him. Yet somehow he felt he already knew the answer.

_**And he liked it. **_

* * *

He woke up to the sounds of thunderous knocking coming from downstairs. Scam rubbed his eyes, opening them slowly before he realized who was knocking on the door demanding entry into the mansion. "Kevin…" Scam couldn't help but smirk because he knew that he had probably kept him knocking all night. Sam had said he was supposed to come home last night. "Sam..." He smiled, looking down and seeing the redhead still sleeping peacefully with her body spread out comfortably on top of his.

Scam carefully pulled away from her and sat on the edge of the bed. He put on his jeans and was about to grab his shirt before the sound of knocking exploded in his eardrums. Kevin really was annoying. Leaving his shirt he stood up and stretched while glancing at Sam. Scam smirked knowing Kevin would probably die if he found out that his innocent friend had slept with him the one night he was out. He moved closer to her and pulled the sheets up to her chin, tucking her in before he went downstairs to face the nuisance that was her best friend.

Outside Kevin was seething. He just knew Tim Scam had something to do with him being locked outside all night long. Sleeping on the cold stone steps of the mansion was not a fun experience and now his knuckles were sore from knocking on the door. The door opened a moment later revealing Tim Scam who was standing there shirtless and groggy.

Kevin's eyebrow raised at his shirtless state but he said nothing of it. Scam blinked looking oddly at Kevin before speaking to him. " How'd you get out of the house?" Kevin narrowed his eyes. "I never got in!" Scam's mouth formed an "o" in realization. "Oh yea. I forgot to let you in last night. Sorry it just slipped my mind," he said smiling while inwardly smirking at the glare on Kevin's face. Of course Kevin was unhappy. A sleepless night on stone stairs was not comfortable at all.

Scam smirked slightly before letting him in and closing the door. 'Where is Sam?" Kevin asked immediately. Tim yawned. "Upstairs. She's still sleeping." Kevin raised an eyebrow glancing at the clock. Sam usually never slept till this late. "Is she all right?" Scam nodded. "Of course, she just slept well last night that's all," he said while remembering how peacefully she had slept after their night of passion. "Good," Kevin said stiffly before ignoring Scam and sitting on a couch waiting for Sam to come downstairs.

Upstairs Sam was still sleeping. She sighed contently before reaching out and brushing her hand against the surface of the mattress on the spot next to her, where she unconsciously expected to find Tim sleeping next to her. Her eyes opened in a flash before she sat up suddenly and blushed. Last night…had they really?... She blushed harder and bit her lip when she moved to stand only to find herself in mild pain. And she knew that was from last night.

Her face turned redder and she quickly grabbed his shirt and put it on, it being the only article of clothing near her. Sam sat on the bed and closed her eyes. But the moment she did images of last night came flashing into to her mind. "Tim.." She whispered holding his shirt harder around her body. Why had she been so impulsive last night? She knew she didn't know Tim as well as she should have before something like this happened….

_**That's what Kevin would say. **_

She sighed softly but she didn't regret this. She had wanted it and he hadn't done anything wrong. But… Sam bit her lip. She didn't know if she was really in love. Yet she knew that she would have thought a million times before going through something like this and she hadn't hesitated at all to give herself to Tim. But then again she hadn't been thinking much at all last night. She had just been allowing her needs, and desires to control her and she really didn't know if that had been the right thing to do.

Sam knew that Tim had been there for her since day one, always rushing to her rescue and she knew that she was attracted to him a lot. That was what had led to her impulsiveness last night. Sam sighed wondering what Tim thought about her now. Did he love her? Sam gulped knowing her heart would break into a thousand pieces if he didn't. But what right did she have to expect him to love her when she herself didn't know what she felt? Feeling confused and flustered Sam moved to the closet where he had put some of her clothes so she could get dressed. She wasn't sure if she was completely in love yet and that bothered her because she had to know what she felt for him before it drove her completely crazy.

* * *

It had taken her a few tries before she finally mustered the courage to go downstairs and face her best friend and Tim. She smiled at Kevin and sat down on the couch in front of him. Her eyes moved up and glanced at Tim for a second before she saw him looking back at her and she blushed and looked away. She almost jumped when Kevin spoke to her. "Sam are you okay? The Detective told me you were attacked again last night."

Sam shuddered and rubbed her arms. She had almost forgotten about the attack last night because of what happened afterwards. Even now she didn't care much about the ghostly attack, her thoughts were focused entirely on what she and Tim had done all last night. "Yes. I'm fine," she whispered slowly. "Tim saved me again last night," she said trying not to blush when she mentioned his name. Kevin narrowed his eyes and sighed. Just as he had suspected, again Sam had been the only one to be attacked.

He hadn't wanted to say this before but he found it really strange how it was always Sam being attacked. Why wasn't he attacked? Or better yet, why wasn't Tim Scam ever attacked. He had been in this mansion since day one. He should have been attacked at least once by now, but no only Sam had ever been harmed by these "ghosts" and that didn't make any sense to him. "Sam.." he said slowly after taking a deep breath. He knew that Sam wasn't going to like what he had to say. "How come you are the only one who's ever been attacked by a ghost in this place?"

Sam stared at Kevin curiously. "What do you mean?" Kevin sighed and glanced at Tim Scam who was watching him with a curious glance himself. "What I mean to say is why hasn't the detective ever been attacked?" Sam's breath caught in her throat and Scam's lips formed into a frown. "Kevin?" She said slowly, hoping he didn't mean what she thought he meant. He didn't really think that Tim, TIM! was somehow in on these attacks? Kevin crossed his arms over his chest. "I find it strange how he's never been attacked even though he's been here from the start…" He continued with a smirk. "Isn't it funny how he's always the one rescuing you?"

He heard Scam scoff and speak in an icy voice. "Of course I have to, because YOU are too busy pretending this place is perfectly safe." Scam smirked. "Someone has to protect Samantha, and it's obvious that it has to be me because you aren't fit to do so." Kevin hissed in a breath and glared at Scam and Sam gulped knowing this conversation was not going well. "Kevin please stop," she said giving him a frown. He had no right to accuse Scam of anything just because he was helping her. Sam refused to believe that Tim was doing anything but saving her life. Even if Kevin did have a point…

Sam shook her head. No. Tim was innocent. It was not his fault the ghosts weren't attacking him, and besides if something ever happened to Tim she didn't know if she would be able to handle it. She did love him after all….

Sam blushed softly thinking about the extent of her feelings for Tim, trying to figure then out, only to stop when she heard Kevin's annoying protests. "But Sam.." Kevin protested only to have Sam shake her head. "Stop. I don't want to hear it. Please," she said firmly ending this conversation. Sam left the room a moment later leaving the two men alone because she really didn't want to hear them fighting. She had enough on her mind after last night and she didn't need to think that the man she was possibly in love with, the man she had given herself to, was anything but good right now. No matter how much Kevin argued it was true.

Scam watched Kevin with a glare after Sam had left. He really hated Kevin. He knew that now all his hard work was going to be under a shadow of doubt. Although Sam would never admit it, he knew she would be wondering how he never got attacked. And it was all thanks to Kevin and his big mouth. He hadn't wanted to hurt anyone anymore, but Kevin wasn't going to let that happen. Now that he had Sam doubting his intentions, Scam had no choice but to do something he didn't want to. He had to prove Kevin wrong about him never being attacked. If he didn't Kevin wouldn't give up until Sam believed his theories and doubted him. Scam clenched his fist and walked out of the room, ignoring the man scowling behind him.

Quickly reaching his room he opened the door and stepped inside while his mouth remained in a firm line and his eyes darkened up with fury. "Damn it", he hissed, slamming the door shut hard enough for the hinges to almost snap He didn't need this nonsense right now. Tim sighed feeling the anger rise in his veins. Sam was his now, he knew she would never doubt him after last night. They had a connection now, she… possibly loved him now. He could have gotten away with it all easily if Kevin hadn't planted seeds of doubt into her mind.

"Kevin…" he spat in a low, angry whisper. And now, he had to be the one to fix this. Closing his eyes in agony his mind struggled to wrap around what had to be done. Sam had to trust him, she could not doubt him and he had to do whatever it would take to keep it that way. His eyes opened suddenly as an idea took control of his mind. There was one way, and one way alone through which he could eliminate all of Samantha's doubts. It wasn't going to be easy nor enjoyable like the other things he had done but he would do it. He would do anything to make sure she trusted him and loved him. A slight, eerie smirk upturned the corner of his lip.

_**Even hurt himself. **_

* * *

Sam tossed and turned in bed that night before the roaring of thunder made her sit up with a start and tremble. Sam bit her lip glancing around the room with widened eyes, looking at the shadows crawling on the walls before she relaxed because she was in Tim's room and she knew if anything went wrong he would save her. Smiling, her eyes moved down calmly to where Tim was sleeping next to her only to have her eyes widen when she noticed Tim wasn't there. Blinking in confusion she bit her lip. _"Where is Tim?" _she thought feeling nervous as she stared at the empty spot on the bed.

Why wasn't he here? Taking a deep breath Sam decided to call out to him. "Tim?" Her eyes narrowed a moment later when he didn't show up. "Tim!" She called louder but he was no where to be seen. Biting her lip in worry Sam sat back on the mattress and pulled the blankets up around herself. She couldn't understand why he wasn't here with her. She had spent most of the day in this room saying that she wanted to rest because she hadn't wanted to hear Kevin and Tim fighting with each other.

She sighed remembering that she also had also hidden away all day because she didn't know what to say to Tim about what had happened last night. Sam bit her lip and blushed softly. But by spending all day in here she had sorted out her feelings and realized that she wanted to tell him what he meant to her. Whether or not he felt the same, that part was up to him but she wanted to at least tell him what was in her heart. She had just been looking for the right moment to speak.

Sam sighed again, pulling the covers closer and closer as she felt lonely just sitting here all alone.

In fact she had been waiting for him to come to his room all day so that she would have the chance to be alone with him so they could finally talk about what had happened between them.

She vaguely remembered slipping into sleep at about 11:00 pm while she was waiting for him to come to her. Her eyes flickered over to the clock in the darkness and she could see that it was ticking 2:30 am.

_**It had been hours.**_

"_Where could he be?"_ Sam thought as worry and panic clouded over her mind. Her eyes widened and her face fell when she had another thought. What if he was avoiding her because of what had happened between them? A small, sad sigh escaped her lips while her heart sank. "Is he mad at me?" she said to herself quietly, knowing that was a possibility. She should not have locked herself in her room all day like this.

Knowing Tim and how much he cared about her, he probably thought she was unhappy with what had happened. But she wasn't unhappy. How could she ever be unhappy with giving herself to the man she had fallen head over heels in love with? A blush formed itself on her cheeks as she thought about last night and how wonderful it had been. If only she had had the brains to tell him what it meant to her instead of just hiding in this room all day he would be here right now. Holding her close, smiling at her, and just making her feel safe.

Sam eyes suddenly narrowed at that thought. Something was wrong here. To be honest it wasn't like Tim to just leave her here alone no matter how awkward things had gotten since last night. No she didn't know him for long but he had always been there watching her, making sure nothing ever went wrong. Would he really leave her in a room all alone, when he had sworn to watch over her during nights? Even if there was this tension between them?

"No…" Sam said while her worry grew and her stomach churned in fear. Tim would never just leave her here all alone. If he had to be away from her he would have told Kevin. He would never just disappear…

"Tim?" she called out louder hoping he would just open the door and come in but it never happened. And she quickly realized that something was very wrong. Feeling her blood run cold from worry, Sam gulped before slowly throwing the blankets off her body and standing up. Slipping on her slippers she began to move out of the room. If Tim was missing, she had to find him and make sure he was safe. She sighed sadly. Even if he was avoiding her.

Suddenly a yelp escaped her when her feet sank through what seemed like a lose panel in the floor. Sam gasped feeling her body falling through rapidly and she took quick breaths and reached her hand up quickly and gripped the edge of the floor to stop herself from falling all the way down to wherever falling from here would lead to. She really didn't want to find out. Biting her lip from the strain in her arms she gulped in panic, hanging there for a moment to steady herself before slowly trying to pull herself up. Her eyes widened seconds later when she felt the panel she was clinging onto give way and then she could feel herself falling through the floor.

"HELP!" Sam screamed, struggling to hold on while the weight of her body pulled her down. "Help me!" Sam screamed louder as she felt her body sinking and she couldn't hold on. "Tim!" She screamed desperately remembering how he always saved her. "Tim!" She screamed again as her body fell another foot and she gasped not knowing how much longer she could hold on. Looking down she screamed in terror when she saw nothing but dark, empty space below her just waiting to swallow her whole. "Tim!" She screamed at the top of her lungs wondering why he wasn't coming to save her. Relief rushed through her when she heard the door burst open in the next second and she closed her eyes while thanking god that Tim was here to rescue her.

"Sam hold on!" She heard a masculine voice scream in panic but her heart fell because it wasn't Tim's voice. It was Kevin's. Kevin glanced around the room, quickly running over the room's contents and spotting the blanket on the bed. Quickly jumping over the growing crack in the floor he grabbed the blanket and tossed one end towards Sam. "Sam grab the end!" he screamed and Sam nodded, using one shaky hand to try and grab hold of the cotton cloth. Relief rushed through Kevin when he felt her pulling on the end and he knew she had grabbed on.

Mustering all his strength he yanked at the blanket and soon he could feel Sam breathing in quick, shallow breaths as she was pulled out of the dark canyon she had been tumbling into. Taking quick breaths Sam only let go of the blanket when she was well away from the open space. She sat on her knees while she struggled to calm down and recover from yet another attempt at her life.

"Sam? Sam!" Kevin screamed in concern as he came over and held her by her shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly he stared at her with widened eyes. Still breathing deeply Sam looked up at Kevin's pale, panicked face and nodded quickly. "I'm fine," she breathed out before panic filled her eyes. "Where is Tim?" The moment she mentioned Tim, Kevin's lips turned downwards in a deep frown. Here Sam had almost died and yet her only concern was Tim Scam. Ignoring her question with a disapproving frown Kevin looked into her eyes. "Are you alright Sam?"

Shaking her head quickly the worry in Sam's face never faded. "I said I was alright Kevin! Where is Tim?" she asked stubbornly and Kevin only frowned harder at her words. He stayed silent, making Sam's worry grow even more. "Kevin?" Sam said, a glare now stuck to her face because her friend wasn't even bothering to answer her. Glaring harder, Sam took his hands away from her shoulders and pulled away. Kevin looked up at her curiously. "Sam?" he said, wondering what was wrong now when she was safe and sound.

Sam glanced at him with nothing but worry and fear on her face. "Kevin something is wrong. Tim would be here by now!" she screamed out while fretting worriedly and Kevin sighed at her mad state of panic all over the detective. Standing up he sighed again. "You don't know that for sure that something is wrong," he said quietly. "Maybe he's just sleeping." he said carelessly with a shrug.

Giving Kevin a heated glare Sam rested her hands on her hips. "Tim would never sleep through my screams for help Kevin! Even you should know that by now!" she said sternly, earning another frown on his face. Seeing that Kevin still looked like he could care less Sam felt a tear roll down her cheek. Kevin stiffened on the spot when he saw that she was crying and he closer to her to try and comfort her. Sam only shook her head while holding him back with her hand. "I'm telling you Kevin, something is wrong…" she whispered sadly while her tears continued to fall more and more. "I can…" Sam paused, choking on a sob. "I can feel it," she breathed out while clutching her head. "We need to do something…." she whispered before she began screaming in panic. "We have to find him!"

Sighing, Kevin paced closer to her and shook his head. "Sam calm down..." he whispered gently, not understanding why Sam was going ballistic. He gave her a small smile then continued. "I'm sure it's nothing."

A loud boom filled the quiet making them both jump. "Tim!" Sam screamed automatically before racing out of the room towards the source of the sound. Kevin sighed tiredly. "Sam come back!" He screamed behind her. "It's not safe!" he yelled before noting how she wasn't coming back and in the next second he was running after her.

Ignoring Kevin's screams that were telling her to stop Sam kept running towards the source of the strange sounds. Something in her gut told her Tim was in danger and she had to save him. Her eyes narrowed when the noises got louder as she neared a spiralling staircase that she knew led to the attic. Biting her lip in worry Sam hesitated, wondering if Tim would even be in the attic but her feet moved all on their own at the chance that he might be in there being attacked by something. Kevin muttered under his breath, struggling to catch his breath as he saw Sam run up the stairs that led to the attic.

"Sam!" he screamed again, running after her in panic in an attempt to stop her. None of them had been in the attic before, what if there was something dangerous up there?

Not hearing any of Kevin's yells Sam skidded to a stop only when she reached the attic door. Taking deep breaths to control her heartbeat Sam strained her ears to listen for a sound but it seemed the loud noises had come to a sudden stop.

Biting her lip in nervousness she placed her ear up against the door only to gasp when she thought she heard the sounds of rampant, panicked breathing coming from inside. Her eyes widened in horror because it sounded so much like Tim. She reached for the handle and turned it only to feel her heart falling when she noticed the door was locked. Feeling her blood run cold when she heard a hiss of pain Sam began pounding on the door and screaming. "Tim? Tim!" she shouted as loud as she could while her fists banged on the wooden surface, trying to break the door down. She felt tears brimming out of her eyes when the door didn't budge and the hisses of pain kept coming. "Tim! Open the door! Please open the door!" Sam screamed helplessly, her voice hoarse and scratchy by this point.

Inside the attic Scam smirked as he heard Sam screaming and pounding her fists against the door, letting him know she had survived the small trap he had set up for her just like he had planned. Hearing her panicked screams he couldn't help but smile. It gave him great satisfaction to know how panicked and worried _**his**_ Samantha was about him. Some part of him felt bad for her tears but he knew he had to do this. He had come too far, much too far to mess up now. Blocking out the sounds of her screams he held up the object he was holding in his right hand. Staring at the knife Scam let his eyes run over the sharpness of the blade, watching it as the moonlight pouring in from the small window shimmered off it's cold metallic surface.

Outside the room Kevin took staggering breaths as he finally caught up with a crying, screaming Sam. "Sam what's wrong?" he asked in panic and the redhead turned to look at him with nothing but distress on her features. "Kevin he's in there and he won't open the door!" she screamed out in between in sobs before another loud boom from inside the room shook them both. 'Tim!" Sam screamed louder, her voice almost gone by now but she kept pounding on the door's cold surface.

Gripping the handle of the door, Kevin tried to open it only to hiss in frustration when he found it was jammed. "Scam, open up!" he yelled in anger, not knowing what was going on within the locked room. Inside, Tim's smirk only widened as he listened to Kevin's frustrated screams. If he was frustrated now, he would probably go crazy after he witnessed what he was about to do. His eyes glinting with malice, Scam twirled the knife around in his hand as he thought about the extent he was having to go through to make this work. But it had to be done.

_**It had to be done now. **_

Staring at Kevin in panic Sam gulped while her tears never stopped falling. "Why isn't he opening the door?" she asked in a shaky whisper while she stood there looking as pale as a ghost. "I… I don't know," he whispered before another noise came thundering out of the attic followed by a gasp of pain. Hearing Sam scream again Kevin realized he had had enough of this. Gripping the handle again he screamed, "Detective, open this door right now!"

Scam only chuckled silently before letting out another loud, convincing gasp of pain. With his left hand he rolled up the right sleeve of his white, cotton shirt before transferring the blade to his left hand and rolling up the other sleeve as well to reveal his forearms.

Outside the door Sam pulled on Kevin's arm in a state of panic. "Kevin do something!" she yelled before trying the handle again but just like before it didn't budge. Kevin stared at the closed door while a frown formed on his lips. Something was definitely up. Why wasn't Scam opening the door? Putting his hands up against the surface of the door Kevin tried to push it but the door didn't move an inch. "We're going to have to break down the door", he said after a moment and Sam nodded moving back and away from the door. Taking a deep breath Kevin aimed a kick at the door leaving the wood to tremble but the door remained sealed. Inside the room Scam smirked as his ears picked up on Kevin's first attempt to break down the door.

_**It was time.**_

Bringing the blade of the knife to his left wrist, Tim held the cool metal against his skin and waited patiently. The second hit to the door was harder and he could tell that the next blow would break it down. Taking a deep breath and numbing his senses with his thoughts Scam traced the tip of the knife against his wrist once before his hand moved faster and in the next second the knife ripped through the skin at his wrist, slashing through his veins and letting blood splatter on his white shirt and on the surface of floor.

Clenching his teeth to withstand the pain, soon Scam smirked before tossing the knife to his injured hand and slashing his other wrist as well. Moving quickly he threw the knife to the floor and let himself fall back on the floor with a thud. Less than a second the door burst open.

A loud scream of panic left Sam's throat the moment she saw him laying there on the floor. 'Tim!" Sam screamed before racing over to him and falling to her knees when she reached his side. Her eyes sadly ran over his pale face and she screamed again when she saw his slashed wrists, the blood seeping onto the floor and falling through the cracks in messy lines. "..No," she whispered feeling broken at that moment. Not him too. Dropping her head Sam cried her eyes out as she sobbed uncontrollably. Kevin walked over to see what had happened only to have his eyes widen when he saw the detective's slashed wrists. How on earth did this happen?

Kevin's eyes glanced at Sam who was sitting there as still as a statue as she stared at Scam's body while tears trailed down her cheeks. "Sam?" he said, concerned, moving over to try to comfort her but that seemed to snap her put of her trance. "Are you happy now?" she screamed accusingly, a glare like none he had ever seen was on her face. Kevin blinked in confusion. "Sam?" She shook her head as she kept crying and glaring rampantly. This was his fault. He had said Tim hadn't been attacked even once and now he was dying because the ghost had chosen to attack him instead of her. It had to be because Kevin had pointed out how Tim had always been the one to save her. "You wanted him to get attacked! And look what's happened!" she roared angrily making Kevin bite his lip and look down.

Ignoring Kevin's guilty face Sam turned back to Tim and cried loudly while she called out to him but he didn't move an inch. She bit her lip as her tears never ceased to fall. He was losing so much blood. Facing Kevin who was just glaring at the floor Sam threw him another glare. "Kevin don't just stand there! Call an ambulance! Get help!" she roared before pulling Tim Scam's head into her lap and holding him close.

"Tim? Tim?" Sam said again, her voice frail and broken as she shook Scam but he wouldn't open his eyes. Crying madly she stared at the blood that was flowing out of his wrists and she felt her head spin around. She couldn't bear to see him like this. The pain and terror she had experienced all those times she had been attacked felt like nothing compared to watching him in this state. She had never once thought that this mansion was going to attack the only man who had been protecting her all this time. This was the final straw. This time things had gone much too far. What ever was in this house should have attacked her, only her.

_**Not her Tim.**_

"That does it!" Sam cried out suddenly, shocking Kevin into looking up at her with his eyes widened in curiosity. "I'm selling this stupid mansion!" she screamed making Kevin flinch. Sam was making a rash decision here but he knew he couldn't say anything right now. Not when she was so upset with him, he would have to try to reason with her when she calmed down… If she ever did calm down.

Still crying Sam shifted, reaching down and hastily tearing some cloth off the bottom of her slip. She quickly tore that into two long pieces. Reaching around she wrapped one of the pieces tightly around his left wrist to try and slow the blood from leaking out. Her tears still falling, burning her eyes she moved to his right hand and did the same. Watching him with desperate, sorrow-filled eyes Sam could feel her heart pounding like a drum in her chest_. "I can't lose him…" _she thought in panic. _"I just can't", _she thought, sealing her eyes shut before she found herself leaning down and kissing his lips in a sudden rush of emotion.

Kevin's eyes widened as he watched Sam fervently kiss the unconscious man while she kept crying and he could hear her mumbling prayers for him to be okay. He had never seen her this scared in all his life and he knew at this moment that to Sam this man was not just a detective. She was in love with him and that wasn't a good thing at all. This man was just way too suspicious. Kevin's eyes narrowed as he stood there and thought this over. Up until now he had been so certain Scam was involved in these ghostly attacks but this event left him beyond confused. Who had attacked Tim Scam?

He was forced to ignore his curiosity over how this had happened when Sam looked away from Scam and screamed again making Kevin quickly whip out his cell phone and call the nearest hospital.

* * *

Several hours later, Scam pretended to sigh in relief as the doctor told him he was going to be okay because he was lucky the cuts hadn't severed his entire veins. _"Luck?"_ Scam thought with a scoff when the doctor left the room. Luck had nothing to do with it. Of course he had known exactly how deep to cut in order to make his injuries look just lethal enough without posing a real risk to his life. In fact he had been conscious the entire time from the point where Kevin and Sam had rushed in to the point where he was brought to the hospital because he hadn't lost much blood at all thanks to his timing and Samantha's quick thinking.

"_Samantha", _Scam thought with a small smile on his face. He could still hear her panicking in his head when she had found him bleeding on the floor. He could still feel her lips on his when she had kissed him despite her best friend standing there. To be honest even he was shocked at how scared she had been for him not too long ago. By now it was obvious that she really liked him a lot. Scam couldn't help but chuckle at that thought, that Jerry's niece liked him so much. That was something he had never seen coming, her attraction to him. But did she love him? He'd never know.

Scam shrugged as she sat there because it didn't really matter because she had given him what he wanted anyway. She was selling the mansion and leaving like he'd originally hoped before he'd ever met Sam. She was no longer going to live at her uncle's estate. Everything was going to plan and Sam had complied to his wishes perfectly and given him all he had wanted. Scam smirked at that moment as his thoughts wandered_. "She gave me more than I had ever seen coming,"_ he said to himself remembering how the innocent girl had given him her virginity and possibly her heart.

Seen in any way she had done enough, and she definitely deserved to get away from him alive. Samantha deserved to live her life in peace and quiet now that she had given him what he wanted from her. Jerry's Estate. Tim had nothing against her wellbeing and no ill will towards her any longer. Kevin on the other hand….

Tim glared as he thought about the annoying man he had had the misfortune of meeting through Samantha. Of course every rose had its thorns, but Kevin? He was a pain since the first day he had met him. Kevin had always been trying to get in his way and unravel his plans. But it was too late now wasn't it?, Scam thought with a smirk glued to his lips. What must that "intelligent" officer be thinking of him now? Scam's smirk widened at the thought. He knew he had thrown Kevin well off his trail this time.

Why would Kevin ever think he had attacked himself? No he would never think he was that crazy, that insane. Scam's eyes filled up with hidden malice because Kevin wouldn't get it, he would never understand how far he could go to get what he wanted. And he had gotten it hadn't he? Samantha said she was selling the estate. As soon as it went up for sale he could get his hands on the property that Jerry secretly owed him. A small sigh left his mouth at the memory of the deal he had made with the old man.

He didn't have any papers of the transaction he had made for $40,000,000 dollars at the guarantee of the estate, but back then he had trusted the old fool to return his money. He had always told himself that Jerry had his estate, his OWN estate as a guarantee to return his money. An estate worth forty million dollars. Scam was never easily fooled but the old man had made a show of his well-valued property. But what he hadn't known was the estate was actually on Sam's parents' name and once they had died Jerry had been the caretaker.

_**Caretaker and that was it. **_

Sam was the heir to the entire fortune and the estate that was HIS. But Jerry had lied to him and told him that the estate, the mansion was his own and so he had trusted him. That mistake of trusting Jerry had led him to lend his money, accumulated over years of hard rule in the business world through every criminal method known to mankind, to the old man in his time of need. It was only because of the doubts over some of his methods to attain his wealth that he had not been able to simply go up to Sam and demand his rightful share. Too many people would want to know how much he had loaned jerry.

_**When? **_

_**Why? **_

It would have caused too much trouble so he had grudgingly chosen this route instead. Tim Scam had commit murder after murder to get his money back. Scam smirked reflecting on his recent crimes. Killing Jerry Lewis, over a dozen of his loyal servants and anywhere from eight to nine investigators that had tried to investigate the estate. It had been hard but things were finally paying off. The estate was finally being sold, and he would go to the auction committee and finally get what was rightfully his. It would be easy from this point on. He wouldn't have to worry about the police or the law because the entire process would appear perfectly legitimate from the outside. And they would never know how much wrong he had done to win.

_**They never did, did they?**_

If they had been so smart, then him, a man who had grown up all by himself after his parents had passed away when he was just eight years old would never be where he was today. At the top of the business world as the king. A proud smirk formed on his lips. There wasn't an auction committee, a real estate agent, a man or woman of wealth that he did not know, influence, and control. Scam smirked harder. He wasn't Tim Scam for nothing. As soon as this house went up for sale, it was as good as his.

A second later he sat up alert when he heard the door opening and a small smile formed on his lips automatically when he saw Sam walk in. His eyes quickly ran over her state and he noticed how distraught she looked. She seemed to have changed out of her nightgown in a hurry because her maroon shirt and navy jeans were wrinkled and messy. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, her hair was disarrayed, and she wore no make-up, no jewellery whatsoever. Had she been sitting outside waiting for word on his condition on all this time? Scam's eyes slightly narrowed in confusion. ….Why would she do that?

Sam took a deep breath, relaxed only now that she saw he was okay. The last few hours had been a nightmare like none other but at least it was over. Tim was okay. Giving him a smile and watching him return it Sam's heart fluttered. She had made up her mind. She was selling the place that had almost led to her death many times and had almost killed her Tim. Glancing at him with concerned, love-filled eyes Sam knew now, exactly how she felt about him. If she was unsure about her feelings before, now she was certain. What if they hadn't broken the door down in time? What if Tim had bled to death? She shuddered just thinking about it because she couldn't bear the thought.

_**She loved this man. **_

She loved him as much as she hated the place she had met him at. That cursed place only felt like home at any time at all because HE had been there keeping her safe. She knew for sure now, she would not be here, alive and well if it wasn't for Tim. What would she ever do without him? Still staring into his beautiful, sea-coloured eyes she drew closer while mustering all her courage. There were things she needed to say to him. Things he had to hear. _"I love him…" _Sam thought as she stopped at the foot of the bed he was seated on. _"And he needs to know that." _She could only pray to God that he felt the same way about her.

Taking a deep breath she started talking. "How are you?" she said, and he noted how shaky her voice was. She still looked so pale even though he was perfectly okay. "I'm okay now," he said calmly while never taking his eyes away from her concerned face. "I…" he took a deep breath and made his face appear upset when in fact he was smirking inside because he knew he had to play his card right. Sam was leaving England and going back home. He wanted her to remember him as a hero so she wouldn't ever inquire on him to be otherwise. Sam drew a little closer and watched him carefully. "What? What is it?" she asked in worry making him sigh. "I'm sorry" he whispered making her blink in confusion.

"Sorry for what?" she asked, not understanding what he was apologizing to her for. Tim sighed. "I heard your screams for help last night but I couldn't come protect you," he said remorsefully making Sam's eyes widen in shock. _"He's still worried about me? Despite what he just went through? Despite almost being killed?" _She felt tears forming in her eyes at his words. How did Kevin expect her to doubt him? How was she not supposed to love this man? How was she not supposed to want to spend, every moment of her life from now till her death with him? Smiling through her tears she kept staring at him lovingly while thanking her luck, her fate, her destiny for letting her meet this man. Any girl would fall head over heels in love with him and she was just the same.

"I'm okay detec- Tim," Sam said, preferring to use his name from now on. Scam nodded before speaking with practiced sadness. "I wanted to help, you have to believe me," he said pleadingly. " I only went up to the attic because I thought I heard strange noises and I didn't want you to ever get attacked again…" he sighed. "But before I knew it, I was trapped in there battling for my life…" Scam looked at her with regret on his face. "And you had to come save ME, when I was supposed to be protecting you," he said looking down, sounding ashamed of himself.

Sam shook her head as she came to sit on the bed next to him. Watching him with a smile Sam bit her lip before cupping his cheek and making him look up at her. Sam smiled harder as she stared into his eyes. Didn't he see all the love in her eyes? He was her hero and always would be.

"I wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to you Tim," she whispered, shocking him with all the honesty in her tone. Biting her lip, a slight blush appeared on her face. "And saving you was like saving myself because…. I wouldn't be able to survive without you anyway," she said quietly making his eyes widen for a long moment before he chuckled. "Thanks for having my back covered Sam, now I'll be there to protect you another day," he said with a grin pretending he hadn't heard how she was selling the estate.

Sam slightly rolled her eyes at his words because he hadn't gotten the meaning of her words. She didn't mean she had saved him so he could put his life in danger for her again, she had meant she had saved him because HE was her LIFE. Choosing to let that go Sam smiled. "I've decided to sell the estate Tim, I'm not going to live in it any longer."

Pretending to be shocked Scam frowned slightly. "…Why?" he asked sounding miserable when in fact he was celebrating in his head. "Is it because I couldn't protect you well enough? Is that why you're leaving your home?" he asked sadly making her gasp and shake her head quickly. "Don't speak such nonsense!" She said quickly. "You've laid down your life for me every day I was stuck in that horrible place!" Sam screamed, sounding hurt. "How can you even say something like that?" she asked sadly making him sigh. "I'm sorry Samantha," he said quietly. "I just don't want you to have to leave something that means so much to you, that's all."

She nodded while a small blush formed on her face when she looked at the only thing that meant anything at all to her.

_**Him.**_

Biting her lip she blushed harder. "Don't worry Tim, I have no intention of leaving what means so much to me," she said making him watch her confusedly before he smiled. "Well you're making a good decision Sam. This estate is really more trouble than it's worth," he said, finally agreeing with her but Sam sighed when she thought of her best friend. "Not according to Kevin," she said with a small, sad sigh.

Trying not to glare at that name, Tim smirked. "…Then he doesn't understand your value Sam," he whispered. Sam's head flew up as she watched him with widened eyes. "Wh-what?" she said making him smile at her cuteness. She really was nothing like he'd expected Jerry's niece to be. Still smiling he spoke. "Your life Sam. It's more valuable than any estate, any amount of money in the world."

Sam's face turned red at his words and she looked away, making him chuckle while she began studying her arm awkwardly. She couldn't help but blush like a lovesick fool as she heard him. He thought she was valuable? That would make sense seeing how many times he had risked his own life to save hers. She bit her lip while trying to control her raging heartbeat. _"..Does this mean he feels the same way? Does this mean he…loves me?" _she asked herself while stealing glances at his face.

Finding her silent, Scam smiled again while leaning back on the pillow. "Hmm, now that you're selling this property you can go back home to LA," he said calmly. "You can finally live your life without having to worry about the mansion." Her breath hitched in her throat and her smile vanished all at once as soon as he said that. Glancing at him sadly she whispered "…What?"

Tim raised an eyebrow not understanding why she looked so upset. "I said now you're free to go back home," he repeated with a smile. Sam watched him for a long moment before she looked down sadly and felt a deep frown touch her lips. He was happy she was leaving? He wanted her to leave? _"What did I expect after all the trouble I caused him?" _she thought, but couldn't help but think of all they had endured together.

Her mind flew back to that night they had made love, the most beautiful night of her life. How could he just want her to go after that? Didn't he see that he meant too much to her by now? She bit her lip, feeling tears forming in her eyes. Had she taken too long to tell him how she felt? Was it too late?

"You want me to go, officer?" she asked, her voice shaky and no less than heartbroken. Scam's eyes widened at the strange question he was being asked. Didn't she want to go home and be as far away from this place as she could be? "No, of course not," he said quietly before giving her a small smile. "But you must miss your home and your life Samantha. Don't you want to go back to Los Angeles?" he asked making her blink and look away. Sam knew what her answer to that was.

_**No.**_

She didn't want to go back. What did she have to go back to? She was lonely. All there was in Los Angles were her two friends, Clover and Alex but as wonderful as they were, they busy with their own lives. Kevin, her best friend was a drifter. He never stayed in one place because of his job. Her parents were no more, they had died so long ago and now her only uncle had died too.

Sam bit her lip sadly as she thought about her life. She was so lonely, so terribly alone. Sam wanted a family, she wanted someone to make her feel safe and love her. Someone to call her own. She sighed while glancing at him from the corner of her eye and thinking _"And that someone is him."_

Taking a deep breath Sam looked him in the eye deciding she was tired of this. "Okay…" she started slowly, drawing his eyes to her face. She gulped before continuing. "I hope this doesn't sound weird, but…" Sam bit her lip while staring at him longingly. "I don't want to go home because I'm scared I'll never see you again," she said making his eyes widen in surprise. She took another deep breath and finished her confession. "And more than anything I just want to be with you." He stayed silent, staring at her in shock. What was going on here?

Finding him silent Sam smiled at his confusion. Why couldn't he see how special he was to her? Taking another breath Sam blushed while whispering again. She wanted him to know exactly how she felt about him. "In fact…if there is one good thing that came out of all this, it's you detective Timothy Scam," she said softly making his eyes widen even more as he just sat there staring at her in complete shock. Drawing a little closer to him Sam blushed harder before awkwardly tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and looking down at her feet. "So what I'm trying to say is…" She trailed off, biting her lip and blushing like crazy.

"…What ARE you trying to say Samantha?" Scam asked slowly, wanting to know where she was going with this. She stayed silent, blushing rampantly and not being able to meet eyes with him. After a few moments she bit her lip harder and took a deep breath, clearing her head of everything before she quickly said the words she had been dying to say. "Will you marry me?"

Scam was sure his jaw had dropped at what she just said. Sam wanted to marry HIM? Her uncle's killer? Granted she didn't know that part but she knew nothing about him. She had known him for what? A month? A little less than that? How could she want to marry him based on such little time?

Sam chewed on her lip, still looking down and feeling her heart falling because he hadn't said a word since she made her proposal. Was he going to turn her down? Scam frowned after he had gotten a hold of this bizarre turn of events in his head. "Sam, you don't know me well enough," he said making her sigh and finally look up_. "So that's what this is about?" _Sam thought. He thought she didn't know him well enough? Well he was wrong there. She didn't need to know him for a year, two or three years to determine what she had learned about him in just a month.

He was a gem of person. He had risked his life for her over and over again. No man had ever done that for her before. No one ever made her feel the way he did and that was why she had given herself to him that night. Now all she wanted was to give herself to him entirely. Was that too much to ask? For him to accept her and become a permanent part of her life? He had touched her so deeply that she couldn't even bear to think of ever loving another man. He was the only one for her and if he broke her heart like this she would never be able to love another.

Taking a deep breath Sam sighed before looking at him hopefully. "I know you well enough Tim… I just do," she said stubbornly. Scam closed his eyes for a moment, not being able to follow the logic in this situation before he tried to question her again. Watching him about to protest Sam frowned. "Do you know what my life is like back home?" she said suddenly, making him close his mouth and watch her silently.

She sighed and continued sadly. "I have no one Tim. No one to call my own. I don't even have a family anymore and it's such a lonely life…" she whispered while looking down and playing with her hands to try to keep herself from crying. She hadn't even noticed how alone she was until he came into her life. Biting her lip she glanced up at him with teary eyes. "I need you Tim. I need you to be a part of my life," she said desperately, shocking him to his core. Scam's mouth remained closed as she listened to her words, absorbing them into his conscience.

_**How on earth had this happened? **_

Sam felt tears brimming in her eyes when he still remained silent after she had poured her heart out to him. Didn't he feel anything for her? At all? Sighing deeply Sam called out to him wanting to hear his answer even if it was no. "Tim?" she said questioningly but he didn't hear her. He was too shocked, much too shocked. Sam wanted to marry him?

Glancing at the girl Scam felt his lips form a small smile. She was much too innocent, much too naïve but…. he could tell she loved him. To be honest Sam was such a sweet young woman that had managed to make him lose control once already, he thought as he remembered that night not too long ago. He really couldn't deny that he liked her a lot already. Perhaps over the years, it was a possibility, that he would come to love her the way she already loved him.

Still thinking, he remained silent. _"I have something to gain from this financially too,"_ he thought, the businessman in him weighing the profits to be made. All of Sam's fortune, not just the estate would be his and that would make a really nice addition to the millions he already owned. And he wouldn't even have to go through any auction process. Scam smirked as he thought about this_. "If I marry her the estate is mine automatically. It will be legitimately mine." _

Although he felt like he had something to gain financially he couldn't deny that he was already an extremely wealthy man. Deep down, he had to wonder if he was just making excuses to marry Samantha Simpson. A hint of a smirk touched his lips at that thought. _"Why does it matter?" _he said to himself_. "Sam loves me, she has so much to give me,"_ he reasoned. _"Her wealth, her admiration and her love… Why should I turn it all down?"_

Watching the pretty girl who was standing there nervously watching him he smiled. Besides, he wouldn't mind being married to her. He was certain she would make a wonderful wife, after all she did already love him so much. Staring at her anxious face his smile deepened. Samantha was his too now. He no longer had a reason to keep fighting for the estate. Sam had just made life easier for him again. All he had to do was say yes and he would get his estate, and a beautiful wife who loved him to death on top of that.

"_In every way…it's a win win situation," _he thought with a smirk before he let out a sigh. "But….what about Kevin?" he said suddenly making her stare at him in confusion. She obviously didn't understand why he was bringing up her moronic friend. Sighing again he gave her a painful smile. "Sam, you have to know he doesn't like me," he said matter-of-factly. "He isn't going to be happy with you decision."

Hearing his words Sam couldn't help but let out a little laugh. It was amazing how much this man cared about her, and right then and there she knew all over again that her decision to marry him was right. "Don't worry about him…" she whispered softly before smiling. "He'll be happy for me," she said while mentally praying he would be, but that didn't really matter right now. All that mattered right now was Tim's answer to her question.

She took a small breath and gulped before biting her lip. "…So… what's your answer Tim?" she asked, blushing timidly then held her breath in anticipation for his response. Watching her bow her head and blush Scam smirked widely. She was beyond adorable. "I'm sorry I couldn't quite hear what you just said, he said while masking his smirk behind an innocent glance in her direction. Sam sighed in nervousness before she took a few steps closer to him and spoke again. "What's you answer?" she mumbled, still blushing furiously.

"About what?" he asked, amusement now easy to hear in his tone but Sam was too nervous to hear it. Practically chewing through her lip in frustration she came closer to him, close enough to stand right next to the bed he was seated on. "About…" she blushed even harder. "If you'll marry me or not…" she whispered.

Smirking, Scam reached out and grabbed her waist now that she was close enough. Sam let out a gasp making him chuckle as he pulled her down and planted his lips onto hers in a deep, passionate kiss that she had never seen coming. Sam moaned against his mouth while her heart hammered in her chest. Another gasp escaped her as he traced his tongue over her lower lip, demanding entry to her mouth which she quickly gave him. He wrapped his tongue around hers and deepened the kiss while feeling her melting into a puddle of mush within his arms.

After a few moments he slowly pulled away and stared down at her as she looked up at him in a daze, her cheeks beet red from the extent of her blush. Running his fingers through her hair, he leaned closer to her until his nose was brushing against her. "Does that answer your question Samantha?" he asked with a smirk on his face. It took her a moment to snap out if her daze but soon she was breathing in relief and crying in happiness.

Sam didn't bother to wipe away her tears of joy as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him while she snuggled against his chest. "I love you Tim..." she whispered when she finally pulled her lips away from his and glanced into his eyes lovingly. "I love you so much."

Tim gave her a smile and wrapped his arms around her body. Holding her close to himself he let her nestle her head against his chest while thoughts clouded up his mind. Samantha Simpson was his now.

_**Only his. **_

She had walked into his arms with her own choice and he would never allow her to leave him after this. A smirk stretched across his lips in reaction to this strange twist of fate, and he finally whispered the words she was waiting to hear. "I love you too Samantha."

* * *

A happy, blissful sigh left her mouth as Sam left Tim's hospital room several hours later. She paused just outside the door and grinned. She was so happy. She had never thought she could ever be this happy, especially after how terrifying this last month had been. But she was getting married now, to the man she had fallen deeply in love with. It was already all figured out. Tim would be discharged from the hospital this evening and then tomorrow morning they would go down to the courthouse and get married.

She didn't even care for a fancy wedding right now, sure she could have one but with her friends not being here it just wouldn't feel right. And Tim… Tim was a detective, an everyday hard-working man. She didn't want him to have to worry about dealing with the unnecessary expenses of a extravagant wedding.

"_It doesn't matter, I would be happy even if I was living in a shack with Tim Scam," _she thought with a blush on her face. Besides all she really wanted was to marry him as soon as possible and this was the fastest way. She smiled brightly at the thought. By this time tomorrow she would be a married woman. By tomorrow afternoon she would be Tim Scam's wife.

"Sam?" Hearing a familiar voice she glanced up still smiling until she saw it was Kevin coming over to her. She hesitated for a moment, remembering how Tim had said he wasn't going to be approve but then she shook her head and told herself she was being silly. Kevin was her friend, her best friend. He would be happy for her no matter what. Taking a deep breath of confidence she ran over to him with a grin.

"Hey Kevin!" she said joyfully making him raise an eyebrow. Kevin watched her closely, not understanding she looked so happy. Just a few hours ago she had been frightened to death when that detective had gotten injured. "_He must be okay now," _Kevin thought, knowing that must be the source of Sam's sudden joy.

"I'm guessing Detective Scam is all right?" he asked and Sam nodded, smiling harder. "Yes, thank God Tim's okay," she said a small blush forming on her face before it vanished behind her frown. "What's wrong Sam?" he asked having seen her sudden frown. Glancing at Kevin Sam took a deep breath knowing she had to tell him some things, starting with her decision to sell her haunted estate. "I'm selling the estate," she said quickly leaving his eyes to widen in shock and a frown to form on his lips. Kevin bit her cheek to keep in his need to burst. He had hoped that Sam had been joking last night when she screamed she was going to sell the property bit now he could tell she was dead serious.

"Sam…" he started slowly, knowing she may not like what he had to say. "Maybe you should wait and think this over." Sam raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "Wait for what?" she asked and he could hear the anger in her tone. "Sam," he tried saying again only to have her shake her head angrily. "Enough is enough Kevin! It's my estate and I'm selling it! I've made my decision and if you can't accept it…that's too bad," she said coldly making him sigh. He was willing to bet anything that Tim Scam was behind Sam's rash decision-making. She had decided to sell her property only when that man had gotten hurt and he couldn't figure out why he was so dear to Sam.

"But Sam," he protested. "I'm your friend and I'm here to help you," he said firmly, not wanting her to make a decision she would regret in the future. Sam rolled her eyes in annoyance before placing her hands on her hips and giving Kevin a little glare. "Then be my friend Kevin!" she said, her voice full of disappointment. "I still need you Kev, but not for the estate or anything to do with it. Please, just forget about the mansion," she said pleadingly making Kevin sigh and nod because she had obviously made up her mind. Seeing him nod Sam smiled. "I want you to be there for me tomorrow…" she whispered, making him look up at her in confusion because he couldn't see where she was going with this. Smiling harder she went on. "Come to court with me tomorrow Kev, as a witness."

His eyes narrowed in confusion Kevin stared at Sam. "A witness for what?" he asked slowly. Sam blushed, biting her lip and looking down. "I'm…." she blushed harder. "I'm marrying Tim tomorrow."

Kevin's eyes widened to the point of popping and his jaw fell open in shock. He had not seen this coming at all. "…WHAT?" he asked sounding no less than angry before a glare formed on his face, his lips twisting into a scowl. "Sam! What are you doing? You don't know him at all!" Sam sighed not liking where this conversation was going. Why couldn't Kevin just accept this? "I know him well enough," she said making him scoff. "Oh come on Sam, how long do you know him for? A month?" he asked, still in shock. He knew he was sounding rude and mean but he had to knock some sense in his best friend's head. How could she just want to marry a man this quickly?

Sam could feel herself glaring at his words. "That's long enough," she spat, sounding angry. Crossing his arms over his chest Kevin shook his head in disappointment. "No it's not Sammie. You don't KNOW him!" She frowned deeply before she found herself screaming. "He risked his life for me! That's more than most men would do!"

Kevin glared, looking like he was on the verge of ripping out his hair. "This is nonsense Sam. You don't know anything about this man!" Huffing Sam stood her ground, not ready to listen to Kevin when he was being this ridiculous. "I do!" she screamed making him glare harder. "Sam!" he yelled, taking as step closer to her. "Kevin!" Sam screamed right back, her face red from anger. Clenching his teeth Kevin shook his head. "Why don't you understand?" he asked angrily before going on to why he was really protesting her decision. "Sam, You're not thinking things through, he could be involved in this somehow-"

"Stop!" Sam yelled when she caught his drift. Kevin was just going to say that Tim was behind everything she had suffered just like he had once before. And she had already seen the consequences of that, she had already almost lost Tim because of Kevin's crazy theories. She was not going to go through that again. She gave him an angry glare. "I'm not going to have you stand here and accuse my fiancée!"

Kevin closed his eyes for a moment before he opened his mouth to protest but Sam wouldn't let him. "Do you have any idea how shocked he would be if he heard you say these things?" she asked, raw anger pouring out of her tone. "Have some courtesy for God's sake, he's right inside!" Huffing Kevin watched her with narrowed eyes. "I highly doubt he'd be shocked," he muttered. "I'm telling you Sam that man is up to something," he spat.

Sam took a deep breath trying to control her urge to just walk away and not have to hear this nonsense. She knew Kevin was a cop and so he naturally didn't trust easily, but this? This was too much! "You still think that?" she asked, shock and hurt in her tone. "He got attacked just like you said he should have! " She screamed angrily before she gave him an acidic glare. "Just like you…you…WANTED!" she spat, earning a look of shock on her best friend's face.

"…Sam?" he said slowly not believing what he was hearing here. Sam didn't look away, keeping up her glare as she thought back to what Tim had said. He had warned her that Kevin wouldn't be happy with this marriage. Kevin looked at her sadly. "Sam, why would you say something like that?" he asked still in shock. "I'm your friend, why would I want someone you obviously care for to get hurt?"

Sam gave him another glare. "Because you hate him," she said crossly making him sigh. "I don't…hate him Sam," he said knowing he didn't really hate the detective. There was just something about him that made him uneasy. As if that kind face he showed Sam was just a disguise and underneath it all he was something else.

_**Something far more sinister. **_

Sam sighed tiredly. "Prove me wrong then," she said softly. "Show me that you don't hate him. Come to court tomorrow and be a witness at mine and Tim's wedding," she said demandingly before fixing him with a pointed look. "Can I count on you?" Kevin watched her quietly for a long moment. Seeing the look on her face he knew that Sam would never forgive him if he didn't do this. He had to say yes for Sam's sake. He had to be there at her wedding no matter how bad of a feeling he got from the man Sam was so bent of sharing the rest of her life with.

Biting his lip Kevin thought this over. _"Maybe I can do some re-search on the detective tonight. Check his background out and see for myself just what he is." _Kevin took a deep breath. _"And if he is somehow involved in what Sam's has had to go through, I'll get him for this_," he vowed in his head knowing he had the resources to dig up generations of Tim Scam's past.

If there was something he was hiding, he would be the one to find it. And then he would make him pay severely, but for now he had to keep his mouth shut and pretend to support Sam's decision to marry Scam because he just didn't want to break the heart of a girl he saw as his sister. "I'll be there Sam," he said making her grin and give him a hug. "I knew I could count on you Kevin," she said joyfully before talking about the details about the wedding tomorrow morning.

He smiled, but didn't really hear her because in his head he was already planning to start tracking down every bit of Tim Scam's life. If there was something wrong with this man as he highly suspected, soon and very soon he would know exactly what it was.

* * *

Sam couldn't help but blush as she stood there at 10:55 am the next morning, in the courthouse with Tim next to her. In five minutes the judge would come in and read the marriage ceremony to them and then they would be married. Glancing at her side she smiled at Tim as he gave her a little smirk and intertwined his fingers with hers, pulling her hand into his and making her legs wobble at his touch. Standing not too far away Kevin watched the pair in front of them with a frown on his face.

He could hardy believe he was standing here letting this happen. If only he had found some proof, any proof against Scam last night, this marriage would not be happening. But he hadn't gotten anything yet because Sam had kept him busy last night with instructions on what he had to do because he was a witness for her wedding. He sighed in frustration. No matter, he would find something soon and even if Sam was married by then she would be more than willing to divorce this man if he was indeed responsible for the death of her uncle.

Hearing the doors open Kevin looked up to see that the judge, an old man had come in and the ceremony was about to begin. Placing a fake smile on his face he tried to look happy at the moment even though mentally, he was preoccupied with finding incriminating evidence against Scam. Turning her head Sam glanced at Kevin, happy to find him smiling before she felt Tim hold her hand tighter and she looked at him with a happy smile lighting up her face. _"This is it," _she thought, taking a deep breath and biting her lip.

Watching Sam, Tim gave her a genuine smile, unable to feel anything but liking for her because she had given him all he wanted and so much more. Ignoring the judge that was settling down in his chair, Scam glanced around at the registrars that were standing there before his gaze settled on Kevin and he couldn't help but smirk. Kevin was looking very fidgety and uncomfortable as he stood there faking the smile that was on his face. Scam could practically sense all the frustration that was rolling off him in waves as he stood there ready to bear witness to Sam and his union. Wondering if perhaps he was up to something Scam smirked before shaking his head and turning back to smile at Sam. _"What can "Kev" do now?"_ he thought to himself in amusement knowing the answer to that was nothing.

_**No one could do anything now.**_

"Tim Scam?" Scam turned his head up to glance at the judge who was staring at him with slightly widened, awe-filled eyes. His eyes widened as he realized he knew this judge. He had met him at some event somewhere but he couldn't recall exactly where, and that wasn't impossible because even with his sharp memory it was difficult to remember how many people knew him.

Standing there he realized how for this past month his fame had been hidden well because ever since he had donned the identity of a detective, he had been in that mansion. He had never left the house to walk on the streets of London and that had been a good choice because almost everyone knew him. Feeling Sam's hand stiffen in his he realized she was wondering how the judge knew his name. Thinking quickly he gave her hand a little squeeze and dismissed the judge with a little, warning smile which prompted the man to smile back quickly before he began reading the marriage vows for them to repeat.

From behind them Kevin watched the exchange with narrowed eyes. How did an esteemed judge know a private detective like Tim Scam by name? And why on earth did he look so…honoured to see him? Curious, Kevin tucked this little tidbit in his memory. He would be sure to try to talk to this judge when the ceremony was over and Scam left. Perhaps this judge could shed some light on exactly what Tim Scam was.

When the ceremony was over some moments later and Kevin and the registrars had signed on the witness line, Sam smiled brightly before signing her name on the papers that legally binded her to Tim Scam as his wife. After Tim was done signing the papers as well the judge collected the document and smiled at both of them. "Congratulations, I now officially pronounce you husband and wife." Sam blushed while glancing to her side at her new husband who was greeting her with a smile that made her heart flutter. "You may kiss the bride," the judge said leaving Scam to draw Sam up in his embrace and press his lips tightly against hers.

A quiet moan escaped Sam's mouth as she melted into a puddle of mush. She slowly wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and brought him as close to her as she could while she kissed him back, pouring all her love in this kiss. When the kiss ended several moments later, Scam pulled back with a smirk while watching his wife, the woman who was the key to his victory.

_**Congratulations indeed. **_

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders he began to lead her out of the courtroom only to stop when he noted that she had stopped walking because Kevin was coming over. It was a struggle to keep the smirk off his lips when he noticed how disturbed officer Kevin Govinski looked to see them as a married couple. Kevin resisted the urge to sigh and complain, instead extending his arm and shaking hands with Tim Scam. "Congratulations Sammie, Scam," he said making Sam smile happily and Scam nod while laughing in his head_. "And this poor, pathetic fool thought he could stop me. All he did was cause this," _Scam thought while watching Sam hug her best friend who was visibly upset but struggling to hide his sorrow behind badly placed smiles.

"_I'll bet he feels wonderful now," _Scam thought still smirking while remembering how Kevin had led Sam to make this choice. If it wasn't for "Kev" and his big mouth Sam would have never married him. Then his eyes darkened at another thought. If it wasn't for Kevin he would never have had to hurt himself and slice his veins. Watching Kevin with an angry glare when he was focused on Sam, Scam knew that if he got a chance he would exact his revenge on him for what he had pushed him to do.

_**No one caused him inconvenience and got away with it. **_

"Tim?" Sam said, noting that her husband's eyes appeared glazed over and he was staring off into space. When he didn't answer she bit her lip, moving closer to him and trying again. "Darling?" she sad finally pulling him out of thoughts. Scam glanced at her making her blush because she just realized she had called him darling. Smirking at her cuteness, his eyes flickered over to Kevin who was visibly flinching at Sam's little display of affection towards him. "Yes my love?" he said, using those words merely to piss Kevin off.

Watching Sam blush is response, Kevin looked away in annoyance only to have his eyes fall on the judge who had recognized Scam before and who seemed to be leaving at this precise moment. Kevin felt himself panic because he was going and he just had to speak to him. "If you'll excuse me…." he said suddenly. "I need to take care of some important business," he muttered before moving away and starting after the judge who had now left the room.

Sam watched after Kevin with confused eyes not understanding why he was in such a hurry. Concerned she moved to follow him only to stop in her tracks when she felt Tim wrap his arm around her waist. She blushed and instantly lost all train of thought as she turned back to her husband and smiled. "Let's get out of here," he said with a little smirk only making her blush harder as she nodded her head and followed him out of the courtroom with her hand holding tightly onto his.

When the reached outside Sam started to walk towards green convertible that was parked at the front of the courthouse only to stop when she felt Tim wasn't walking in the same direction. Turning her head Sam watched him in curiosity. He only smirked a little before using his hold on her hand to lead her in the opposite direction and Sam's eyes widened when she noticed he was leading her to red and black Bugatti Veyron. "Tim?" she said questioningly but he only gave her a charming smile before walking her closer to the car. Sam's eyes narrowed in thought. She knew something or other about cars from having grown up with Kevin. Wasn't this one of the most expensive cars available on the market?

Opening the left door for her Tim smiled. "Shall we?" he said and Sam nodding slowly before getting in. She watched him carefully, wanting to ask him about the car but not really knowing how to do so_. "Maybe it was a gift from someone he helped as a detective," _she told herself while dismissing the thought that people didn't just go around giving out million dollar cars as presents of tokens of appreciations. From next to her, Scam could feel her confusion. It was obvious she wondering how an average, working-class man like him owned such a car_. "Yet she won't ask me anything,"_ he thought with a satisfied smirk on his face. It was amazing how much she trusted him and didn't doubt anything he did. This was just more evidence of why he had gotten away with all that he had done without her doubting him even once.

_**She would never know what he had gotten away with. **_

He smirked harder knowing he was doing this on purpose, it was time Sam be told about his wealth. Since she was married to him she was bound to find out anyway and he already had a very convincing story up his sleeve to combat any questions she might ask about him hiding all this up until now. Starting up the car he began driving towards the old mansion where Sam needed to grab her luggage before she left the place forever with him. Giving Sam a sidelong glance as she sat there smiling he knew the only thing he refused to tell her now was that her uncle had been murdered by his own capable hands and that the only ghost in the halls of Jerry's mansion had been him. An dark, determined look filled up his eyes as he watched her sitting there watching him with lovesick eyes.

_**Those were things he would never allow her to find out. **_

Within an hour they were at Jerry's old estate. Scam smirked from behind Sam when he noticed how pale she had gotten as soon as she had stood at the door of the mansion. The words of joy she had been speaking to him just moments ago were lost as she stood there petrified in fear. It was amazing how good of a job he had done making her believe her own mansion was creeping with killer ghosts. Wrapping an arm around his trembling wife he gently pulled her inside the mansion and led her to her room so she could get her things.

Watching her as he helped her pack Scam couldn't help but chuckle internally when he saw how quickly she was dumping things into the suitcases. It was obvious how much of a hurry she was in to get out of this place forever. "I think that's everything," she said shakily while trying to keep her voice steady but he could hear her fear and was laughing at it silently. Nodding slowly he walked closer to her with a kind smile on his face. "Are you sure you got everything?" he said calmly while masking his smirk. "Maybe we should take another look around-"

"No, no! It's fine," She said quickly. "I'm sure I got everything," Sam said while she bit her lip and glancing around apprehensively before her eyes rested on her husband's face. "Can we go now?" she said with nothing but desperation in her voice. Resisting the urge to chuckle he nodded before taking her suitcases and leading her out of the mansion.

Sam let out a deep breath of relief as her feet stepped onto the pavement and the door closed behind her. She could only pray to God that she never had to see this place ever again. Loading her small suitcases into the car's expansive trunk he got back into the driver's seat and started to drive again. Sitting down, Sam turned to glance at Tim curiously. "So where are we going?" she asked with a small smile on her face. She wasn't sure where they were going to be staying. A hotel perhaps?

Tim chuckled at her question. 'Your new home of course," he said making her blush as she realized he was taking her straight to his house. "You live nearby?" she asked shyly making him shake his head as he thought about his mansion that stood at the very outskirts of town. She would definitely like his place. "No. It's a long drive, a few hours. I hope you don't mind," he said making her shake her head because she didn't care where she was as long as she was far, far away from that killer mansion. "What's your house like?" she asked making him chuckle before he gave her a little smirk, not being able to wait until he saw her reaction to his home. "Why don't you wait and see?" he said making her blush again and nod.

Sam silently studied Tim's sideways profile while leaning back against the car's soft leather seat. Wondering what to do to pass the time Sam began to open her purse to take out her cell phone and speak to Kevin. He had left abruptly and she was still wondering why. Maybe this was a good time to call him.

A small gasp left her mouth when the car swerved suddenly, leaving her to land in her husband's lap. She looked up with a blush on her face and Tim gave her a apologetic look. "Sorry," he muttered before giving her a charming smile. Sam gulped, her blush rising as she slowly pulled her body off his lap and let her phone drop back in her purse having no intention of calling anyone anymore. And when she looked away to control her blushing he was smirking because that was what he wanted anyway.

_**

* * *

**_

_**It had been hours.**_

It was dead quiet in the small office Kevin had locked himself in. The sky that could be seen through the small door window was now streaked with darkness signalling that night was soon to come. Hour after hour he had sat there staring at the papers and facts he had dug up. He still couldn't even believe what he had found. He still couldn't even begin to wrap his brain around what the various newspaper clippings and internet articles had been about. Tim Scam was no detective. Far from it. He was a well-known, successful billionaire. Kevin's jaw clenched as he glared at the photo that was on the desk before him.

When he had spoken to that judge hours ago he had not believed what he had told him. He hadn't believed it for a second that Tim Scam was a business man with millions to his name, simply because it hadn't made sense to him. Why would a rich, influential man be posing as a detective at his friend's estate? What was his reason? What was his purpose? Hours later and after extensive research he head learned that his motive was so sinister.

Tim Scam had a dark past to his name. In the business world he carried a reputation of being a successful but ruthless man. Everyone knew there wasn't anything he wouldn't do to stay on top and make a profit. Exactly how ruthless he was, Kevin hadn't known until he started to dig further into Scam's history, started to look deeper into the lives of his business partners. He had gone around all day and tried to talk to men Scam had made business deals with in the past. Kevin had been mildly surprised when all he found were the mens' families, mostly wives and children but not the actual men Scam had made transactions with. So he had talked to the families of the men Scam knew instead, and while no one had said anything incriminating about the man, their eyes had seemed to widen in apprehension with just the mention of his name.

_**It was like they were frightened of him. **_

Glaring at the man's photograph Kevin now knew why. It had turned out that many, most men Tim Scam had dealt with were long dead, strangely right after they came into partnership with him. It had been that bizarre and frightening fact that had led him to think of Jerry. Kevin remembered Sam's uncle's habits well. He had complained about being in debt most of his life before telling them that his debt issue was forever solved because he had found a good source of income. Kevin glared harder at his own lack of thought because back then had thought Jerry had gone into partnership with some company so he could expand his business. But upon digging deeper he hadn't been able to find anything that linked Jerry to any business company, any partnership, nothing whatsoever.

Although that had left him confused soon things had started to make sense. Tim Scam was a businessman, with millions to lend. Based on that he had started to wonder, could it be that he had loaned Jerry money? After that everything had clicked into place. He had realized that Jerry might have borrowed money from Scam. Poor Jerry might have been sucked into his web and probably hadn't been able to pay in time. And then he had probably ended up just like the other men Tim had dealt with before.

But he hadn't dwelled on that theory itself because there had still been the fact that Scam said he was an officer investigating Jerry's case. Something that had never sat well with him and that had led him to call the agency Scam claimed to work for asking if they had sent any detective to investigate the Lewis estate. Kevin still remembered how the officer on the other end of the phone had gone silent at the mention of the place before he said no. Before he explained to him that

they would never be crazy enough to let another man venture in there alone. He hadn't mentioned Tim Scam's name because he knew it would confuse them as to why a millionaire was posing as a detective from their agency. Instead he had furiously asked them exactly why there wasn't an investigation going on when a man had died. At that, they had told him there was a pending investigation going on and that had only made him more angry.

He hadn't understood why. Why would the police take the death of a wealthy, upper-class citizen so lightly? Why weren't they putting in all their effort to catch the person responsible for ending his life? Kevin could feel himself seething as he sat there shaking with uncontrollable rage. He hadn't understood until they had told him that every single officer they sent to that place had ended up dead.

_**12 officers dead. **_

It was because of that they had silently believed the house was in fact inhabited by some power not to be messed with. It was because of that, that they had more or less backordered the case.

By the time he had been done talking to them he had become certain Tim Scam was behind the murder of Sam's uncle as well as multiple other murders. The deaths of Jerry's servants, the deaths of all those cops. Kevin had become sure that Scam had killed so many people just to get to Sam and her estate.

After that Kevin gone back to the mansion and had searched the grounds carefully to try and find Jerry's corpse because he had been certain it would be there somewhere. A chill passed through has body as he sat there in silence, his eyes filled in horror because of what he had learned. He hadn't found Jerry's body instead he had found weapons.

Kevin had found knives, daggers, ropes, all those things that could be used to set up traps hidden in the room Tim Scam had been occupying. It was at the moment he had realized exactly what Scam had done. He had set up traps and horrifying things for Sam to face. He had purposely set everything up to frighten her night after night until she become so horrified, so vulnerable that she left her home and decided to sell it. Decided to do something she had no intention of ever doing until she became certain the estate was haunted.

_**Something Tim Scam had masterfully done.**_

Kevin's face crumpled up in rage as he thought about everything this man had done from right under his nose. "I was right about him!" he screamed to the empty walls. "I WAS RIGHT!" Kevin hissed while slamming his fist against the wooden desk and letting the papers fly around in a frenzied mess. Holding his head Kevin took deep breaths trying to figure out what to do. It scared him to death knowing that Sam was married to Tim Scam. It frightened him beyond anything that Sam was wife to the monster himself, that she herself had walked into the arms of the devil without ever realizing that she was in danger.

Sealing his eyes shut in again, Kevin thought about the naïve, innocent redhead that was his best friend. "Why didn't you listen to me Sam!" he screamed out loud while pacing around like a maniac of some sort. Why hadn't she taken his word for it when he told her that he didn't trust Tim Scam? Why? Kevin threw Scam's photo another hateful glance remembering how this wasn't really Samantha's fault.

She was just a simple girl, one that believed in true love and destiny and wanted a prince charming to come and take her away to her happily ever after where she'd never be lonely. Tim Scam had done just that. He had pretended to be that very prince charming. He had used his looks, superficial charm and kind words to appear as a perfect man that any girl would want to marry. And poor, innocent Samantha had just taken the bait.

Kevin ran a hand through his hair in pent up rage and frustration as confusion pounded away at his mind because now he just didn't know what to do. Taking deep breaths to try and calm down he tried to think of a course of action. In the back of his mind he knew that until Jerry's body wasn't found, most of his work would be just speculation and doubt. Kevin grimaced because the only thing he had enough evidence to get scam thrown into jail for was falsely posing to be a detective.

But how long would that put him in for? A day? An hour? He knew a man as powerful and rich as Scam would have his lawyer get him out of jail for that measly of a charge before he could even blink. Kevin sighed. His only chance was to tell Sam everything and get her away from that demon as far as he could before telling the police all he knew.

Then they would take over the investigation, seal off the mansion and question Scam until Jerry's body was found (something he believed was more than likely because Sam had told him that one day she had seen Jerry sitting there in her room, something which he now knew hadn't been a ghost at all). Kevin's face twisted in disgust at that thought. Scam had used Jerry's dead body to make Sam believe in Jerry's ghost.

What kind of animal dragged an old man's dead body around like that? What kind of monster used a dead man after death? Kevin shuddered as he thought about how much more evil this man could be capable of. His eyes widened as he quickly remembered how, because there where no ghosts in the mansion Tim Scam must have slashed his own veins that day. He had done it, all by himself. It hadn't been a ghostly encounter but a cold, calculated, psychopathic act.

"My God he's a psycho…" Kevin said while a shudder of terror ran through his body. "He's a sick, twisted psycho." His stomach tied itself in knots as he thought about what this meant. If Scam could hurt himself like that… what would he do to **Sam**? To people he hated? Kevin didn't need to think twice to know he was frightened to find out.

Pacing around like a madman, Kevin knew he wanted to end this. He wanted to tell the authorities all he had learned, because he knew from his years as a cop that this was enough evidence, speculative or not to at least launch an investigation against Tim Scam. With all the doubts on his wealth, the strange fates of his many business partners, and his shadowy past… this link with Jerry's death could be enough to finish him off and put him in jail where he so rightfully belonged.

Kevin froze in his pacing and sighed, gritting his teeth together in frustration. But he hadn't called the police despite having learned all this information. Despite there being hope that this was enough evidence to convict Scam. There was only one strong reason why he hadn't called the police. His eyes clouded up with hopelessness, he thought over what Scam would do if he did call.

Kevin closed his eyes bitterly as he thought about his best friend who's life was at risk at this exact moment. Who knew if he called police right now what would happen? What if Tim Scam used Sam as hostage to get away? What if he tortured her and killed her for revenge because he got caught? He shuddered over those disturbing thoughts because he knew it was all a possibility. Sam was with him right now. She was in Scam's lair. She was trapped in his domain where he could easily murder her.

Rape her.

Kill her….

_**He could easily do whatever he wanted to her. **_

Clenching his teeth, Kevin shook his head, No, he couldn't allow that. He couldn't let her get hurt. Sam had to be safe fist and he had to be very careful. If Tim Scam even got a tiny whiff of what he had leaned… Sam could die. Frustrated and torn, Kevin wondered how to tell Sam that her husband was a psychopathic murderer. 'I have to find that bastard's phone number!" he snarled before sitting down in front of his laptop and typing away, trying to find the phone number to Tim Scam's estate.

Nothing but panic went through his mind as he searched, thoughts that Scam might be killing Sam right now at this very moment torturing him with every passing second.

He could be murdering her right now so he could claim her wealth right away and add it to his collection of millions.

Scam didn't love Sam, that much Kevin knew for sure. He just wanted to use her so killing her was more than likely, and why would he wait? Kevin thought spitefully. She was with him, alone right now! He would want to kill her and be done with it. His hands shook as he typed on the keyboard, finally reaching a page with a database of phone numbers. Kevin bit his lip as he entered Scam's personal information. But something told him he wouldn't kill Sam without…. enjoying her first, a thought that made him sick to his stomach but he could only hope Scam hadn't gotten to consummate the marriage yet. Psychos like Scam could do anything and he could only hope she was still safe and sound and he hadn't been too late.

* * *

The car finally came to an elegant halt on a quiet street. Turning to face Sam, Scam smirked slightly. "We're here," he said before taking off his seat belt and exiting the car. Sam smiled getting out of the car herself and standing out on the street. Her eyes moved around looking for her new home. She looked left then right in confusion because she didn't see any houses and the only thing that was standing there was a mansion. After a moment Sam bit her lip and turned to ask Tim where his house was only to find him smiling at her. He didn't say anything as he walked closer to her and held her by the shoulders before turning her around to face the mansion that was before her.

"Welcome home," he said with a smirk on his face. Sam's eyes widened in shock and her jaw fell open as she stared at the enormous mansion that stood before her eyes. Finding her silent Scam chuckled having expected this reaction from her. He knew that now Sam was never going to think he married her for wealth. A smirk stretched across his face because he knew his own mansion was worth well over twice as much as Jerry's. But he hadn't let Jerry's debt of $40 million go when he easily could have.

_**Why?**_

Because the money he had loaned Jerry Lewis was still HIS. He had worked hard for it, he had earned it. Who was Jerry to simply take it away from him like that? To be honest, it wasn't even really about the amount of money owed, it was about the principles. He never let anyone go without paying him back and making a profit so why would he let jerry, a man who dared to lie about being able to pay back the sum he borrowed, off the hook? Scam smirked to himself while his eyes lingered over Sam standing there in silence.

_**Business… just didn't work that way. **_

"_Besides…." _Scam thought as his eyes ran over his Sam's pretty frame_. "The old fool paid back a much bigger price than he borrowed,"_ he thought, smirking while looking at his beautiful new wife. His eyes glinted with malice in the darkness of the night as he stood there staring at his bride. Samantha Simpson was his now.

Jerry's niece.

**HIS** wife.

Jerry's heir….

_**His prize.**_

Finding that she still hadn't spoken a word, and was still looking at his mansion he chuckled, letting go of his retributive thoughts before approaching his wife and clutching her waist from behind leaving her to gasp out his name. Placing his head on her shoulder he smirked. "Speechless?" Sam gulped, slowly tearing her eyes away from the white-coloured mansion that stood against a slowly darkening sky.

"Tim?" she said questioningly while looking at her husband from over her shoulder. She looked at him with confused eyes for a long moment not being able to understand what this meant when he let out a little sigh and turned her around all the way so she could face him. "Sam…." he whispered slowly while tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. 'It's time you know who I really am."

Sam gulped again, slightly going rigid in his hold. "What…what do you mean?" she asked sounding shocked and confused and Scam knew he had to speak fast before she got too many ideas. He have her a sad smile while letting one of his arms wrap around her waist, his other hand moving up to play with her hair. She only blinked in confusion while watching him with uncertainty and he knew she wanted answers. Sighing he looked into her eyes. "I'm actually not just a average detective…" he said while sounding regretful. "I'm a successful businessman and a billionaire", he said leaving her eyes to widen to the point of popping. "Wha… What?" she asked slowly, still in shock.

Scam nodded slowly. "It's true," he said with a small sigh. "I only took up a job as a detective because I hate being lazy and doing nothing." His eyes bore into hers while he continued. "I'm a hard worker Samantha and I believe in helping other people. That's why, instead of just sitting around in my mansion and doing nothing I decided to do something where I could be of some use to others." She stayed silent staring at him with wide eyes before a small smile formed itself on her face. Scam worked hard not to smirk because he knew just what she was thinking. She was thinking he actually meant all that nonsense he had said right now and she was proud to be married to such a caring, selfless man.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked softly while resting her hands on her husband's chest and coming closer to him. She could hardly believe how perfect he was. She watched him sigh before he looked at her. "I hate the fame that comes with being this successful Sam," he muttered sounding genuinely upset. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," he said with regret in his tone leaving her to smile brightly and cup his cheek. "Don't be sorry Tim," she said gently while never taking her eyes off his face.

She wanted him to know she was on his side now and forever and believed everything he said. Still smiling she glanced into his eyes and whispered, "I understand what you mean completely." Scam gave her a smile before drawing her up in his embrace and holding her close. What he had ever done to get such a trusting, innocent and gullible wife he'd never know. His smirk widened. But he enjoyed it ever so much.

"Come on," she said from within his embrace. "Let's go inside," she said excitedly before pulling him towards the doors. Scam chuckled following after her and soon the double doors were opened allowing Sam to walk inside. Sam's eyes widened at the sheer size of this place. It was like walking into a palace, a kingdom. Her eyes ran over the walls which were white in colour, laden with leaded window panels, mahogany drapes hanging closed over the large bay windows. Her eyes quietly took in the beauty of the many pieces of antique furniture that she saw as she walked around in amazement.

Moving around she noticed the richly detailed carpets, the beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling mural in the living room that was lit up for her welcome, the curved, oak staircase that expanded out before her, the large dining room, its rooms panelled in mahogany with a surround buffet and mirror made of stained birch wood that covered one entire wall.

Her mouth stayed open in awe as she paced around the mansion noticing the music room that consisted of open shelve book cases and a beveled glass door that led into a solarium at the south end of the mansion, the several bedrooms, the massive library littered with thousands of books. There were high arched ceilings everywhere making the rooms appear as if they went on forever. When she could get her jaw to work again Sam spoke in a small whisper. "It's beautiful," she gasped out making Scam chuckle at her reaction. He came and stood next to her with a smile on his face. "I'm glad you like it Samantha," he whispered making her bite her lip and nod, when his breath flowed into her left ear.

Blushing she looked away only to have her eyes widen when her eyes landed on a row of paintings that hung on a wall she hadn't noticed before. "What are those?" she asked curiously moving away from him again and making him sigh because he was hoping to get on with the evening but it seemed her tour was still not over. A slight smirk touched his lips as he watched her because he knew the only other place she hadn't seen now was the master bedroom upstairs, the only room that he was more than ready to take her into.

_**He just needed to enjoy his prize. **_

Stopping in front of the paintings Sam's eyes widened at the portrait of the man that was hanging there. "Is that…your father?" she asked, making the connection right away because the man in the picture looked so much like her husband. Scam slowly walked towards her and nodded while glancing at his late father's image. "Yes. How did you know?" he asked with curiosity on his face. Sam smiled looking back at his father's portrait. "It was easy. You look so much like him."

Tim chuckled at her observation and drew a little closer to her so that he was standing right behind her. 'Do I?" he asked softly, his breath travelling down the back of her neck and making her skin tingle. Sam nodded slowly while trying hard not to blush. "Yes you do," she whispered softly before she found herself blushing despite trying not to. "Especially you eyes, they're exactly the same."

Another chuckle of amusement left his throat while he drew even closer to her and Sam bit her lip when she felt his chest pressing into her back. She shivered a little, blushing at the soft contact while listening to him speak. "That's a family trait. My grandfather had the same eyes too." Sam turned her head slightly looking at him in amazement. "You mean any children that are born in your family line will have the same eyes?' she asked in curiosity.

He slowly nodded his head while watching her with amused eyes. "I believe so, but of course I'm not entirely sure..." he said before reaching his arms out and holding her by her waist, bringing her body even closer to his before he smirked against her ear. "Want to find out Samantha?" Sam's breath hitched in her throat and a deep blush coated her cheeks at his suggestive statement. She looked down for a moment aiming to control her blush before she tried talking to him again.

"You live here all alone?" she asked softly, while slowly turning to glance at him. Scam let out a little sigh. "Depressing isn't it?" he asked making her shake her head and gasp. "I didn't meant it that way," she said sadly, biting her lip and looking at him apologetically because she didn't want to upset her new husband in any way. He smiled, placing his finger under her chin and lifting her face a little higher. "Don't be because I'm not alone anymore…" he whispered while tracing her jaw with his thumb and coming closer until his feet were touching hers. "I have you now Samantha."

Sam stared at him through half-closed eyes in a trance. Just the way he said that made her shiver.

Scam stared back at her with unblinking eyes noticing how lovesick she looked as she stood there gazing at him. This was his moment of victory. He had managed to punish Jerry in a way he hadn't even planned. He had married his niece. _"The old man must be turning over in his grave," _Scam thought wickedly while tracing Sam's lips with his thumb and feeling her shiver at his touch. Then again he hadn't even given Jerry a grave. Smirking inside, Scam relished in the fact that Jerry's money was his, his estate was his and his niece Samantha was all his.

_**He had won. **_

Without saying another word he gripped Sam's waist and pulled her closer making her gasp before he crashed his lips onto her own. Sam moaned against his mouth, feeling a blush creep along her face as she felt his arms move to pick her up. Scam leaned down and picked her up, carrying her bridal style while he began walking up the spiral staircase with his mouth still connected with hers. Kissing her without mercy he soon slammed the door to his bedroom open before he drew closer and closer to the bed. Putting her down he finally separated his lips from hers and stared down at her. A slight smirk formed on his face when he noticed how her cheek were flushed, how her lips were swollen and how she was taking slow panting breaths. He hadn't even begun to touch her yet and he had all night, all of her life to do this. Sam was his prize to indulge in and she didn't even know it.

Giving her a smile he ran his fingers through her hair and leaned over her body, staring into her eyes before bringing his lips to her neck and starting to place hot, open-mouth kisses against the surface of her skin. Sam moaned deeply and let out a gasp, arching her body in reaction to his touches. "Tim…." Sam gasped out while shakily moving her hands to his back where her palms placed themselves on his body and she slowly pulled him closer.

He smirked with his mouth pressed against her neck as he slowly began to bite along the crook of her neck leaving her to gasp and dig her nails into his back through the material of his shirt. Sam bit her lip hard when she felt his teeth digging into her flesh, nipping and dragging their way on the way to her shoulder. Scam sucked and licked his way down Sam's neck, caressing her skin with his teeth and marking her as his.

Gasping in response, Sam's fingers clutched and pulled at this black shirt in pent up frustration and he smirked before taking his mouth away from her neck and staring down at her. Smirking harder he took hold of her hands and brought them to his chest, placing them against the surface of his shirt. Sam blushed deeply while staring into his eyes and wondering if she should go ahead and do what he was letting her do. Slowly and with her fingers shaking she began to unbutton his shirt while avoiding his gaze to control her nervousness. It took her a few moments but when she was finally done he chuckled while sitting up and pulling his shirt off his body altogether and letting it fall off the side of the bed.

Giving her a predatory look he leaned back down and took hold of the front of her red blouse. Gripping the fabric he smirked, looking her in the eyes before tearing her shirt open in one quick movement leaving Sam to gasp in surprise. Pulling apart the fabric, he revealed her chest that was now only hidden behind her black bra. He smirked harder before he leaned down swiftly and placed his lips on hers.

His mouth took hers as he kissed her roughly while his hands trailed against her chest tracing over her breasts from over her bra before he moved his hands to her back and she could feel his fingers reaching for the closure of her bra. Sam pressed her lips harder against her husband's as she felt him snap open one clasp then the second, and she sealed her eyes tighter as she felt his fingers moving to undo the last and final clasp.

The sudden, and loud ringing of the phone made them both jump and pull apart. Scam let out a small growl of annoyance as he reluctantly got off Sam's body. Sam blushed hotly, while pulling her torn blouse close as best as she could and awkwardly looking away from him. Glaring at the phone he stood up and walked to it with a frown on his face. He hadn't been expecting an interruption and he could only wonder who on earth would be stupid enough to call at a time like this. Glancing at the small display to check the ID of the caller, Scam's eyes narrowed when he saw the name:

_**Kevin Govinski**_

"Who is it?" Sam's voice asked sweetly from behind him and Scam could hear her shifting on the mattress, moving to stand up. His mouth remained closed as he thought this over. Whatever Kevin had to say it couldn't be good and even if he had called just to further congratulate Sam over getting married (a fact he highly doubted) he couldn't take any risks.

Ignoring the ringing of the phone he turned and faced his wife with a small smile. "A business partner of mine," he sighed. "He's probably calling to congratulate us for our wedding." Sam smiled softly. "Well that's nice of him," she said making him chuckle. "That really depends…." he said with a little shrug. "He can be quite annoying at times," he said, sighing and Sam just stood there watching him silently. "Hmm…" he said, having gotten any idea on how to deal with this situation. Glancing at Sam he smiled. "Why don't you freshen up? Take a shower and unwind and I'll take care of my friend."

Sam blushed before nodding and moving to head out of the room. "Sam?" Hearing Tim's voice Sam smiled, turning at her husband's call. Seeing her watching him with curious eyes he gave her a charming smile while twirling the phone wire in his fingers. "Don't be too long, okay? I'll be waiting for you." Sam blushed harder and turned, walking away with shaky legs. As soon as she left Scam's smile vanished and he glared at the phone that was ringing in his hand. From the fact that Kevin had rung close to a hundred times it was obvious that he had something very important to say to Sam. Curious, Tim turned on the phone and held it against his ear. A second later Kevin started speaking a rushed, panicked tone.

"Sam? Sam! Is that you?" Scam didn't say a word, simply breathing into the phone to let Kevin know he was being heard. After few seconds Kevin spoke again, "Okay don't say anything Sam just listen to me. This is very important." Scam smirked, complying to the idiot's request and staying quiet. "I can't explain everything to you right now, it'll take too long but just get this, Tim Scam is dangerous! He is a murderer!" Kevin screamed rampantly making Scam's eyes narrow and his jaw clench. "Sam? Are you listening to me? He's a killer! He killed your uncle and he killed other people too! I know this is shocking but Sam please! Please just get yourself out of there! Get away from him now! Got it Sam? You need to -"

Kevin's voice was cut off as Scam pulled the phone wire in one firm tug. He stood there taking deep breaths to stay calm as he slowly put the phone back on the receiver. How had that inspector, that worthless cop found out? Slightly shaking in rage Scam paced back and forth while silently seething at Kevin in his mind. How had he figured this out? Stopping in the middle of the room he sighed remembering how this man had caused trouble for him from the start.

Tim Scam's eyes darkened as he remembered how Kevin had opened his big mouth once and forced him to slash his own veins. It was a memory he had not yet forgotten and now he had the gall to try and stand in his way again? "Well, I'm not going to stand idly by and let him interfere," Scam thought darkly while figuring out what to do. It was clear now that Kevin knew way too much. It was time he be taken care of for good before he opened his mouth again and caused any more trouble.

Narrowing his eyes in thought Scam thought over a plan and smirked when one quickly came to him. He knew just what he had to do to eliminate Kevin from his path. Looking around the room, Scam smirked widely when he saw Sam's purse sitting on the bedside table. Chuckling he walked over and picked it up before he opened it and took out Sam's cell phone. He sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced over his shoulder to check if Sam was back yet only to sigh, relieved when she wasn't there. Turning around, he smirked at the metallic object in his hand before he flicked it open and scrolled through Sam's contacts. A second later he found Kevin's number at the top of her friend list. Smirking harder, he selected the number and began a text to him.

A few moments later he smiled happy with the job he had done and sent the text message. Before he put Sam's phone away he cleared the last message from her outbox history so that Sam wouldn't wonder when she texted Kevin today, then he turned her phone off in case Kevin tried to call. Placing her phone back in her purse Scam smirked deviously before letting the purse sit back on the table. If everything went to plan then Kevin would be walking right into his trap.

He sat in silence for a moment knowing he had to deal with this nuisance tonight but what would he do with Sam? She was wide-awake and he knew she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon because she had already shown so much curiosity over his mansion. She would probably want to talk to him all night or take a tour to other parts of the estate and the mansion which she hadn't yet seen. Biting his lip in thought Scam smirked a second later as he realized he was overcomplicating matters. Sam was his wife was she not? He knew just how to tire her out.

* * *

Kevin sat there in the small office panicked and as white as a ghost. Why had Sam just hung up like that? Was she okay? Had that freak heard him speak? He began praying none of that had happened and let out a small breath of relief when he heard his cell phone, which was still in his hand make the sound of a text message received. Taking a deep breath he relaxed even more when he saw it was from Sam. Selecting her message he read the words carefully:

**OMG Kevin! I can****'****t believe this! Tim, MY TIM killed uncle Jer? Why would he? I don****'****t know what 2 do Kev, I****'****m scared. He was right here when u called, same room that****'****s why I had 2 hang up. I can****'****t even phone right now so I****'****m sending u this msg. Meet me at the mansion in 5 hrs. TTY there and don****'****t txt me back, he might see it.**

A deep breath of relief escaped him when he saw Sam's words. Thank god she believed him now. He bit his lip in worry wondering how Sam was going to manage to get out of there with Scam watching her but he figured she was going to wait until he fell asleep. Getting up he decided to go to the mansion right now just in case Sam arrived early. He could hardly wait to get this over with and get that bastard arrested for his crimes.

* * *

Taking a deep breath Sam blushed realizing she had stupidly forgotten to bring her clothes in when she had taken her shower. It was because of that she was walking back to the bedroom wrapped only in a towel. Her teeth chattered slightly as her shower-soaked skin tingled from lack of clothing and she let out a sigh, relieved when she finally reached the master bedroom. Turning the doorknob she bit her lip before opening the door and stepping inside. Her eyes narrowed in confusion when she didn't see Tim sleeping on the bed as she had expected. _"__Where could he have gone?__"_Sam thought while closing the door behind her and moving further inside the room.

A sudden gasp left her mouth when she felt someone push her against a wall, against the glass pane and hold her there with their body. Sam stiffened, holding her towel close to her body only to relax when she heard a familiar chuckle. "It's only me Samantha," Tim whispered into her ear making her blush and shudder when his hot breath made contact with her damp skin leaving her flesh to burn pleasantly. Biting her lip she spoke in a whisper. "I was wondering where you-"

A gasp left her throat when she felt him press his chest harder into her back and press her tighter against the glass. Instantly any words she had been thinking to speak were lost as she stood there with her heat beating madly in her chest. Smirking at her sudden silence Scam knew he had his wife's entire attention. He might as well keep going.

Raising his hand he ran his fingers through her crimson locks before he pushed Sam's damp hair over her shoulder while slowly dragging his fingers against her bare skin. Slowly, he brought his mouth down to the back of her neck and hovered his lips over the area, breathing down on it and making her quiver. Bringing his lips to finally touch her skin he began to kiss at her there making her go rigid against him.

Sam let out a moan and gasped as she felt his lips, his teeth nibbling at the base of her neck. Smirking against her flesh Scam began to move down, slowly lowering his lips down her back and kissing a line of hot, open-mouthed kisses down her spine. Sam bit her lip and gasped at the feeling of his hot breath flickering down her skin, igniting her flesh wherever it touched her. Biting her lip harder she gasped again as she felt her towel slowly slipping away from her body, as it slid partly down her chest. She moved her hands quickly to hold it up but was stopped when he spoke suddenly. "Don't," he whispered, huskily in her ear leaving her to shiver and drop her arms to her sides just as he instructed.

Scam slowly brought his hands to grab onto hers, intertwining his fingers with hers from behind. His hands raised hers and soon he had placed her palms against the surface of the cold glass while his fingers remained locked with hers. He held her hands there tightly so she couldn't move them away. Sam took deep breaths, trying to control her escalating blush as she felt him press his chest, his body completely into hers from behind giving her little space to even breathe. Smirking at the sounds of her small, fast breaths he let himself rub against her back leaving her to moan softly and writhe and twist her hands under his hold but he wouldn't let her go.

Feeling her body shuddering after a few moments of him simply pressing himself against her, Scam changed his course of action. Bringing his mouth to the crook of her neck he latched his mouth over her tender skin. Sam moaned deep in her throat when she felt his mouth sucking at the side of her neck. A louder gasp escaped her when she felt him biting her skin, his teeth now digging deeper into the places where he had bitten not too long ago. "Tim…" Sam was barely able to hiss out with her breath half stuck in her throat from the feelings of pleasure that were rushing though her mind and body.

Hearing her breathlessness he kept going, pressing their intertwined hands harder against the glass pane while he bent down and brought his lips to return to her back. Smirking, he kept his head down and slowly kissed his way down her spine just like he had before only this time he went down lower, further, his movement effectively making her towel come undone and slip down her body. Sam shuddered as she felt her body slowly become fully exposed to him and the very thought left her speechless and quivering in anticipation. When her towel had dropped to the floor, Scam stood there staring in the darkness of the night as he held a naked, shower-damp Sam against the wall.

Enjoying her shivers and soft gasps he released her hands and moved his fingers into her hair as he pulled it aside from her back again. His mouth crept to the left side of her neck where he placed a line of open-mouthed kisses, his teeth tugging into her flesh while feeling her claw her nails into his arms where he had placed them around her waist. His breath ghosting across her skin he quickly moved to the other side of her neck, kissing and biting there relentlessly while Sam gasped and screamed out his name.

Moments later, after he was done assaulting every inch of her back he gripped her waist harder and spun her around, leaving her damp hair to splatter against the glass as she was whipped around to face him. Sam shivered, she trembled as she watched him standing there staring at her with his eyes darkened in a way she had never seen before. Scam looked at her with lust-darkened eyes before he grabbed her to him and crashed his lips to hers roughly, shaking her to her very core.

She gasped, going limp in his aggressive hold when she felt his teeth biting into her lower lip, demanding entry faster than she had thought to grant him. Her lips parting in surprise, Scam smirked against her mouth before moving his tongue into her mouth and wrapping their tongues together tightly. Sam gasped harder, her eyes sealing closed on their own as he mind swirled with ecstasy.

Kissing her for several moments, until her lips were swollen and reddened from his, Scam moved his mouth down her body, to her collarbone. His hand reached down and seized the side of her waist, his nails digging into her flesh and leaving marks there before his hand slipped lower and settled on her right thigh. Sam gasped loudly when she realized where his hand had landed and she bit her lip over and over again as she felt him trace his palm back and forth along her thigh, wiping away the water droplets with his palm. Rubbing and teasing her vulnerable skin, Scam enjoyed listening to her shudder and hiss. He squeezed and rubbed her thigh for another moment before slowly lifting it and guiding her leg to wrap around his waist while he pressed her back harder into the wall.

She soon leaned back on her own, pressing herself hard against the pane when she felt him move his mouth to latch onto her throat. Scam smirked in dark amusement as he kissed his way down her throat, sucking and biting his way down lower and lower until he reached her breasts. Pausing for a moment he gave her the false impression that he wasn't about to continue leaving her to moan in complaint and claw patterns into his shoulders. He chuckled before deciding to continue his moment.

_**She was asking for it.**_

His mouth moved against her chest, creeping in between her breasts and placing a trail of kisses against the soft valley he found there. Sam only shuddered while clawing her nails harder into his shoulders. Her eyes were glued shut tightly as her body struggled to stay upright because her legs had suddenly lost all power. Scam smirked again because he could feel her slumping down, her knees going wobbly as she clung onto his shoulders to stay standing.

His mouth moved up and down her chest, biting and licking while he slammed her body harder and harder against the wall. Sam gasped at the clash of heat she was receiving from his body and the cold from the glass behind her and she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay standing. Sensing her struggling not to fall Scam put her leg down and slowly pushed himself away from her body. He moved back and stared at her, amused when she looked at him in confusion, her eyes asking him if he was truly done with her.

Moving rapidly he grabbed her body and threw her over his shoulder before he turned towards the bed and quickly dumped her down on it. He trapped her on the soft surface, intertwining their fingers together and holding her hands tightly against the bed. His head dipped down to her neck while he kissed and licked his way across her collarbone. Incapable of any speech whatsoever, Sam twisted and writhed under him while ardent gasps of pleasure escaped her mouth over and over again.

Letting her hands go, Scam moved his mouth down to her chest and pressed a kiss directly into the centre. Sam's hands, now free, moved to hold the back of his head as she dug her fingers into his hair. A loud gasp escaped her when she felt his hands moving against her chest.

Scam smirked as he took hold of her breasts, massaging them with his fingers and leaving the woman under him to shudder uncontrollably. Her shuddering increased even more when he suddenly brought his mouth to her breast and tasted it with his tongue, leading her to gasp out his name louder than ever before. Sam's heart hammered in her chest like a drum as she arched her back to bring her body up against his, to become even closer to her husband. Feeling her satisfaction mounting and her body growing more and more powerless under him, he smirked before letting her go for a moment to remove his left over clothes.

Soon he pressed her against the headboard and dug his body into hers. Sam could feel all his muscles, his harder, much more powerful body pressing against her softer one making her feel weak. She bit her lip shakily, never having felt this dizzy and vulnerable in all her life. The only time that even came close to this feeling was the first night he had ever touched her but even then, tonight the effect was more heady and much more delirious. It was like he was aiming to take all of her breath away.

Sam's thoughts faded as he moved again this time dragging his lips from her throat down to her stomach. Scam smirked into her skin before kissing a line across her waist line and flickering his tongue against it. Sam moaned, bringing her hands up and dragging her nails against his back, almost hard enough to leave lines but they both knew that at this moment she was too weak to do so.

Relishing in the fact that she was nearly exhausted he kept going, not wanting to give her the chance to recover. His mouth moved downward from her stomach to reach her thighs. Moving his lips lower and lower he began kissing a path down her left thigh then switching to her right leaving her to bite her lip hard enough to draw blood and hiss with pleasure. His mouth moved fervently, while his teeth slightly pulled at her flesh, leaving his mark everywhere on her skin where his mouth could reach.

Wanting to see if she was capable of even screaming now, Scam smirked before slowly spreading her right thigh. Still smirking he placed his mouth there and began to bite at her skin moving from her inner knee upwards going higher and higher. When he reached her most vulnerable area Sam gasped before attempting to scream his name at the top of her lungs but her voice came out hoarse and rough from all he had been doing to her. Not separating his mouth from her skin, Scam smirked to himself because he knew she was now almost at her breaking point.

Satisfied, he took his head away from her thigh and slowly lay himself over her knowing he might as well get on with this before she simply passed out right then and there. He could feel she was in a trance. She was weak, vulnerable and panting while she stared up at him with stormy eyes.

Smirking as he watched her panting and heaving as she lay there, he knew it wouldn't be fair to her if didn't at least give her the full pleasure of being his wife on their wedding night before he left to take care of business. Positioning himself over her he held onto her hips, glancing teasingly into her eyes before he smirked and finally let his body fully invade hers.

* * *

Nothing but silent, soft breathing could be heard in the quiet darkness of the room. Scam's lips curled into a smirk as he lay against Sam's body with his mouth pressed into the crook of her neck. Smirking harder into her white skin, he slowly placed soft kisses up the side, moving his lips up to her ear while she lay there barely managing to breath. "Tired already?" he whispered, teasingly when he reached her ear. Her eyes didn't open and only a small, tired moan left her lips.

He smirked harder at this and slightly nipped at her earlobe but she didn't stir. "Darling?" he said, a little louder trying to see if she would open her eyes but she did not. Raising himself a bit off her body he slowly waved his hand in front of her closed eyes. When she didn't move, simply laying there taking slow, relaxed breaths he knew she was too exhausted to do anything but sleep. Smirking he pulled himself off the bed and stood up.

Grabbing his clothes he quickly dressed himself before walking out of the room to get something. He returned in a moment and sat next to Sam on the bed. Lifting her arm, he placed it on his lap before leaning down and kissing her on the lips while carefully injecting her with sleep serum. She made a little sound against his lips before she relaxed completely. Separating his mouth from hers he looked down on the sleeping girl while running his fingers through her hair. He hadn't wanted to inject her but he couldn't take any chances. His hands reached down to her waist where the blanket was rolled down to and he pulled it up to her chin, tucking her in carefully before he moved to leave.

Walking over to a cabinet within the room he opened it, taking out the phone wire he had pulled before and a knife which was wrapped in a strip of cloth. His eyes glinting with hatred and malice he slowly unwrapped the blade and glanced at it remembering how this was the same knife Kevin had forced him to cut himself with. He left the room a moment later with the knife gripped tightly in his hand. By digging up information on him Kevin Govinski had dug up his own grave, he thought with a smirk as he sat himself down in his car and started driving.

_**It was now time he be buried within it. **_

* * *

Biting his lip in worry Kevin paced back and forth in front of the entrance of the mansion. His eyes glanced at the doors for the hundredth time since when he had arrived here five hours ago. Concerned, he glanced at his watch to check the time.

_**3:45 AM**_

Lines of stress formed on his forehead as his eyes flickered over to the doors again. _"__Sam should have been here by now,__"_he thought as his stomach twisted in knots of panic. Why wasn't she here? Kevin struggled not to think about the one horrifying possibility of what might have happened. Tim Scam could have found out and had prevented her from coming. He could know that _he knew_.

"Sam," Kevin uttered her name hopelessly, hoping like crazy she was okay. Would Scam murder Sam or chose to keep her alive to torture her for his own amusement? Was she even alive now, at this moment? Images of Sam's dying, bleeding body filled up his mind and he struggled to stay positive and tell himself that couldn't happen. Fate could not be that cruel to let another innocent die at the hands of that monster that went around disguised as a human being with the name Tim Scam.

Hearing a sudden noise Kevin stopped, alert, relief spreading through him when the door sounded like it was being opened. Smiling he walked towards the entrance himself glad that somehow, some way Sam had made it and she was finally away from Tim Scam's clutches.

A second later he stopped short, freezing on the spot as his eyes widened in shock. It wasn't Sam that was coming in the through the mansion's doors….

_**It was Tim Scam.**_

Taking a few steps forward in anger Kevin felt his face curl up in rage and disgust. "You!" he screamed, drawing the attention of the man he was talking to. Scam said nothing, throwing him a careless glance before he turned and closed the door, locking it before he faced Kevin. He didn't say anything simply staring at Kevin and noting how angry he was. Kevin was standing there with his fists clenched, taking deep breaths while a vein at his forehead pulsed and his face grew red from anger. A slow, amused smirk formed on Scam's lips because it seemed that his mere presence tormented this officer.

"Hello Kevin," he said calmly, almost in a happy voice as if he were greeting a friend and not his worst enemy. Kevin's teeth clenched as he watched the man before him through narrowly slit eyes of fury. The fact that he had come her proved Scam knew something or other about what he had come to learn.

"What are YOU doing here?" Kevin asked, taking a step closer to Scam. A small chuckle left Scam's throat as he stood there silently drinking in Kevin's rage, fury and hatred. Kevin would never know that such emotions always fuelled him. Finding him silent Kevin glared harder before screaming out the same question he had just asked. "I said what are you doing here?" he shouted, his angry voice bouncing off the walls and making the chandelier above them slightly quiver as the glass ornamentations swayed a little. Scam still said nothing, only watching the officer with calm, silent, emotionless eyes. Uncomfortable with Scam's silence Kevin watched him angrily for another moment before his eyes widened at another thought.

_**Sam. **_

Where was Sam? If Scam had heard his phone conversation with Sam…if he had seen her texting him…

What had he done with Sam? Taking a deep breath Kevin kept walking closer to Scam with an acidic glare on his face. "Where is Sam?" he yelled, now only concerned with her well-being. "What have you done with her?" he spat, ready to murder Scam with his bare hands by this point. Legal process and police protocol didn't really matter to him right now. If Tim Scam had even laid a finger on her he would kill him right here and right now.

Kevin's thoughts were interrupted when the man before him let out a small chuckle before smiling at him as if he was his favourite person the world. "Calm down Kevin…" Scam said sounding completely relaxed and happy as he looked Kevin in the eye. "Why would I ever hurt _my _own wife?" he asked with a little, teasing smirk tugging at his lips. A scoff left Kevin's mouth at this man's fake, twisted words. If he thought for a moment that he was going to believe he wasn't going to hurt Sam just because he was married to her he was wrong.

No, Scam was stupider then Kevin could ever imagine if he actually expected him to think he wasn't capable of brutally murdering his own wife. After everything he had done, the many people he had killed, Kevin knew this man was capable of evil impossible to even imagine. He was the definition of a true psychopath and he wasn't about to forget that for even one quick second.

Shaking with rage Kevin pointed his finger towards Scam. "After everything you did? After all the murders you committed? There is NOTHING I would put past you!" he screamed. Scam's face didn't get the touch of sadness or anger he had been expecting, instead Kevin watched in confusion as he remained unnaturally calm while he lips twisted into a smirk. But he didn't say a word to deny any of his accusations. _"__How could he even try?...__"_Kevin thought with a sneer as he threw hating, contemptuous glares at the bastard that was standing there. _"__He knows he did all of this and he enjoyed every moment of doing it.__"_Suddenly Kevin felt himself glaring harder as he watched Scam standing there smirking as if all of this amused him beyond anything.

Kevin hated how he thought he could control everyone's lives and manipulate them to suit his own sick, twisted desires. Remembering from memory he knew Scam had gotten away with it one too many times. He hated the sight of this man and the fact that he had managed to marry Sam right in front of his eyes sickened him. But it was time to make amends and Tim Scam would not be getting away from all of this unpunished and unharmed like he had in the past. He was going to make him pay.

"How could you do all this?" he screamed at the man who stood there as silent as stone. He wanted, no needed to understand what kind of monster he kept hidden inside him that enjoyed preying on people's vulnerabilities and destroying their lives. Soon Kevin found himself screaming out everything that was on his mind. "You're a psycho!" Kevin screamed. "You're a sick creep!" he roared while watching him with disgusted, disapproving eyes.

Thunder roared outside the mansion, leaving ghostly shadows to dance across Scam's quiet, smirking face. Tim stayed silent despite Kevin calling him names and screaming and his haunting silence continued to bother the officer but Kevin told himself that he didn't really care. It was a good thing Scam wasn't speaking because at least now he could say everything that had always been on his mind. "I've seen some messed up freaks in my time but you! You are the most inhumane, foul person that I have ever met!"

No words left Scam's mouth as he watched Kevin silently, appearing calm on the surface but only he could feel the destructive storm that was raging and growing with him. Kevin just didn't know what he had gotten himself into. Scam's hands played with the objects in his pocket as he stood there in the darkness. He might as well let the fool think he actually gave a damn about what he was rambling on and on about. "How could you abuse Sam like that? How could you betray her trust?" Kevin spat in disbelief. All Sam had done was trust this man with all her heart. All she had ever done was love this beast unconditionally and he had hurt her so severely without ever letting her know. When Scam still said nothing Kevin felt his patience reaching its end. Did he really think saying nothing was going to get him out this?

"Answer me!" Kevin snarled taking steps closer to Scam knowing he wouldn't hesitate to attack him if the need arose. He was a police officer and he was trained to deal with criminals like him. "How could you abuse her trust?" he screamed again and Scam's jaw twitched ever so slightly at the mention of Sam. "How could you manipulate her into marrying you?" Kevin asked in disbelief. Scam who had been silent slowly gave Kevin a glare. "Correction…" he started slowly. "I didn't manipulate Sam, she asked, she _begged _me to marry her," he said sounding nothing less than arrogant. Crossing his arms over his chest Tim gave Kevin a smirk. "I simply gave her what she wanted."

"Shut up!" Kevin roared not believing the nerve of this man. Scam's smirk only widened on his face as he took a step closer to Kevin and sighed. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?" Kevin took a deep breath now realizing that this man wasn't capable of understanding how much wrong he had committed. There was no point in him yelling at him or trying to make him see what a psycho he was because he would never see it. With people like him, it was best to just stay direct and right now his only real concern was Samantha. "Where is Sam?" Kevin said firmly while standing his ground and glaring furiously. Scam let out an amused chuckle before he shrugged. "Where do you think would she be?" he asked in amusement. "Where else? She's safe and sound at her _loving_ husband's house," he finished with a mocking smirk.

"Don't you dare call yourself her husband!" Kevin hissed leaving Tim Scam to throw his head back and chuckle before he glanced back at him in amusement. "For a police officer, you sure have poor memory…" Scam drawled out as he watched Kevin with a belittling gaze. "Don't you remember signing the witness papers at our wedding?" he said making Kevin visibly flinch at the memory. That only amused him more as he continued. "**I **am Sam's husband, she is **my** wife," he said steadily while watching the officer with strangely calm eyes. "Those are facts that you can't mess with Kevin."

Kevin rolled his eyes while shaking his head in disgust. Only a man as disgusting and cruel such as this one could call a girl who he had manipulated and tortured into marrying him his wife. "We'll see how long that lasts just as soon as she finds out what a monster you are…" Kevin said, his voice in any angry, harsh whisper. "She'll leave you before you can even blink once she finds out how many people you've killed!"

Scam sighed, tapping his foot on the floor absentmindedly. "Hmm…" he said looking bored. "I suppose you have proof of these accusations?" Kevin gave Scam another glare. "Of course I do you bastard!" he spat. Scam only shrugged. "Enough proof to get me charged with all you are accusing me of?" he asked, giving Kevin an innocent look.

Looking down Kevin fell silent for a moment remembering how most of the evidence he had was just speculative and not concrete evidence. _"__No__…"_Kevin said to himself stubbornly. _"__I do have enough evidence to make him pay,__"_he thought before throwing another glare at Scam. "I have enough evidence," he spat. "I phoned your detective "agency", the one you said you worked for." Kevin smirked when Tim Scam's smirk vanished and he fell silent and he knew he was worried now.

Slowly Scam began to speak again. "You did, did you?" he asked while placing his hand in his pocket and tracing the handle of the knife hidden inside. "And what did you tell them?" Kevin rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I didn't tell them anything," he spat. "I asked them if anyone was investigating the case and they said no," Kevin shot another glare at Scam before shaking his head. "I knew you were a liar from the start but that's all I needed to hear to know for certain!"

Ignoring Kevin's shout, Scam smirked discreetly at what he had just been told. "So … you didn't tell them I was posing as a detective working for their agency?" Scam asked quietly. "You didn't mention my name?"

"What for?" Kevin spat angrily more than annoyed with this man's ridiculous questions. "How would they understand why you did what you did?" Kevin snarled remembering this man's perfect image in society as a rich, successful billionaire. Why would anyone ever doubt him? That was why he had always gotten away with his crimes. But it was ending now. Kevin watched Scam with angry, hateful eyes before he screamed the words he had been dying to say. "But I know enough to know exactly what you did Scam!"

Tim stayed silent as he heard Kevin's words. The idiot hadn't even mentioned his name to anyone. No one else but Kevin knew what he had done. Scam's smirk internally, keeping his face impassive on the outside as he watched Kevin shaking with rage, a mad look of justice in his eyes. For once Kevin had spelled his own doom by keeping his big mouth shut, by not telling anyone what he had learned. The irony of that didn't go unnoticed by Tim Scam.

Finding Scam silent Kevin smirked knowing he was scared now. At least he was smart enough to know when he had lost and that was why he wasn't saying a word any longer as he stood there in silence. Kevin's smirk widened as he glanced at the man feeling nothing but pity for him. After a life of successfully evading the law and bending people to his will he was finally going to be put behind bars.

"I will make you pay for doing this…" Kevin said slowly, pride and arrogance in his tone because he knew that even if it had taken a while he had finally won. Looking Scam in his eyes Kevin went on with his smirk still on his lips. "I will find more proof, strong proof that will tell everyone what you've done…" he said threateningly while enjoying how Scam wasn't smirking or uttering a single word anymore.

_**He knew it was all over.**_

Scam remained silent, looking down and away from Kevin while feeling his jaw twitching but he said nothing as he let one of his hands move behind his back while gripping something tightly within it. Stopping a foot or two away from his enemy Kevin spoke with satisfaction. "And trust me Tim Scam…" he said menacingly. "There won't be any room left for doubt by the time **I** am done investigating."

_He had had enough._

Slowly raising his head to look Kevin in the eyes, Scam started to move closer to Kevin while twirling an unseen object behind his back. His boots thumped heavily on the floor as he walked up to him and stopped when he was just a foot away. "Hmm…" he said calmly before a menacingly cruel look formed on his face leaving Kevin to take a small step back.

Scam smirked darkly before speaking in a low whisper. "Let me make your life easier Kevin…." he said before swinging his arm out from behind his back and soon a wire had lashed out and wrapped around Kevin's throat leaving him to raise his hands and try to pull it away. Scam ignored Kevin's surprised gasp and struggling as he raised his own hands and slowly tightened the wire's grip around the officer's throat. He leaned his head closer until he was looking directly into the shocked man's eyes. "I did all of it."

Kevin's eyes widened in horror at the smirk on Scam's face and he gagged while trying the break the phone wire's hold from around his neck but it didn't budge. A panicked gargle escaped him leaving Scam to chuckle and his amusement only grew when Kevin raised his leg and kicked him in the side, managing to make him fall back a step. Steadying himself Scam smirked as he watched Kevin assuming a fighting stance.

"_So he wants to fight me?__"_Scam thought in amusement, knowing police training or not Kevin had no chance against him. Hearing Kevin running towards him and aiming his fist at his side Scam smirked before sidestepping the man and grabbing him by the back of his shirt. Using his hold he hauled him halfway across the room leaving him to smash against a far wall.

A gasp of pain left Kevin's throat as slammed against the wall and he stood up quickly not believing how easily this man had just thrown him aside. Hearing him chuckle Kevin lunged at Scam, managing to kick his side before Scam grabbed his arm and effectively swung him to land on the floor. Listening to Kevin hiss in pain Scam smirked before taking, slow, menacing steps towards the officer. Before Kevin could stand up Scam had pressed his foot into Kevin's elbow leaving him to groan in pain.

Adding more weight Scam reached down and took hold of Kevin's wrist before he brought it up in one swift movement forcing a yelp of pain from his throat and the sound of a bone breaking to fill the silence. Kevin gasped as he felt pain run up his broken arm, up his shoulder and he struggled for a moment before he managed to roll away from man intent on killing him.

Scam only chuckled while he watched Kevin walking backwards while watching him in horror. A smirk formed on his lips as he began to walk towards Kevin again. There was no way he was going to escape his wrath, he had been a perpetual thorn in his path for much too long now and he was going to pay for it. "What's the matter?" Scam asked teasingly. "You don't want to fight me anymore? You're giving up so soon?" A scowl formed on Kevin's lips as he moved to lunge at Scam again despite his broken arm. Smirking at Kevin's determination Scam waited for him to get close enough before he took hold of his broken arm and twisted it further and further leaving the officer to jerk and twist in pain.

Enjoying Kevin's screams Scam used his hold on Kevin's broken arm and dragged him towards the spiral staircase. Once he got there he gripped the officer's head by the back of his hair and slammed his face onto the stairs leaving Kevin to groan in pain. Closing his eyes to avoid injury to his eyesight, Kevin took deep breaths before he reached out and gripped the edge of a stair with his working arm.

Clenching his teeth he used all his energy to push back and break Scam's hold on him. Hearing him stumble back a few paces Kevin took a deep breath of relief before he began climbing the staircase as fast as he could. He didn't have any weapons on him at the moment but if he could just get away from this maniac for a few moments he would think of a plan.

Unfortunately he never got the chance to finish mounting the stairs as Scam quickly grabbed his foot and pulled him down. Soon Kevin's body was helplessly falling down the stairs while he shuddered in pain. Before he could stop himself from falling his head hit the edge of the stairway, and he gasped feeling some part of his scalp burst open from the blow. Kevin shook his head dizzily while he felt blood soak his hair and run down the left side of his cheek in messy lines. He opened his eyes weakly but all he was able to see were blurry shadows as the room spun before his eyes. And somewhere from in between the shadows and darkness came Scam's soft chuckle of amusement.

Kevin stared straight ahead while struggling to breathe as he saw his haunting face in moonlight, his eyes clouded with bloodlust, and at this moment Tim scam was the embodiment of the devil. Thunder clashed from outside leaving Kevin to shudder as he cursed at himself in his mind for being so weak. He struggled to try and stand but was stopped immediately when Scam sat in front of him and smirked while watching him. "Did you really think I was going to let you stand in my way," Scam said, his voice unnaturally calm as he reached down and took hold of Kevin's left foot. Kevin tried to jerk his leg but it seemed his energy was quickly failing him as he sat there limply staring at Scam in horror.

Amused by the fear showing on the once brave officer's face Scam smirked as he took his time twisting Kevin's leg back and listening to him gasp in torment. "After everything I did…" he said slowly, not being bothered by Kevin's whimpers of pain. "You honestly believed you could stop me?" Scam asked with a smirk. Kevin tried to say something but no words were spoken because he couldn't even speak through all the pain his body was receiving.

Finding him silent and unable to speak Scam's eyes glinted with viciousness. Kevin's big mouth was finally shut. Taking no mercy on the tormented man, Scam stood up and used his foot to push Kevin's body onto his front. A small shudder escaped Kevin as he felt himself being shoved to lay forward on the cold floor and a second later he landed there, face-forward with a thud. Smirking cruelly, Scam placed his foot on the centre on Kevin's back and stood there while listening to the officer pant, being in too much pain to even scream.

Kevin lay there limply not knowing what this monster was going to do next before he winced as he felt the foot on his back press deeper. "Does it hurt?" Scam asked with a smirk while he watched blood pour down Kevin's scalp so heavily that it could be seen in the darkness.

Raising his eyebrow in amusement when Kevin didn't answer he shoved the heel of his boot deeper into Kevin's back while enjoying the howl of pain that followed. "How bout now?" he asked teasingly while never removing his heel from Kevin's body. Kevin gasped, his fist clenching as he tried to withstand the pain. Still hearing no real response from the officer Scam smirked. "No? Not enough?" he said softly before he raised his leg for a brief second before bringing it down swiftly and kicking Kevin until he could hear his spine rattling. "How about now?" he asked darkly while feeling the man he was attacking shudder in pain and torment. The thrill that rushed through him reminded him how much he enjoyed doing this and exactly why he never hesitated killing anyone. Including that pathetic fool Jerry Lewis.

An amused smirk formed at on his lips at the thought of the old man this Kevin had been fighting so hard to bring justice to. Getting another idea Scam quickly grabbed Kevin's hair and turned him around so he could see him. Kevin hissed in pain and took slow, strained breaths while he looked up at Scam's daunting face. Still smirking in amusement Scam whispered. "Want to see something?" he asked while watching Kevin's half-closed eyes widen a little. He knew Kevin wanted to see what he was going to show him, after all he had been dying to. "Wait here," Scam said mockingly because it was obvious that Kevin was in no condition to move anyway.

Kevin lay there taking deep breaths and trying to summon enough strength to move but he quickly found that he really couldn't. He had already lost so much blood and his body was quickly going numb. Fighting with himself not to give up, Kevin slowly began to crawl away as he made a move for the door. If he could just get out on the street there was hope.

Scam's eyes narrowed as he watched Kevin foolishly trying to et away from him by crawling away on his one, un-broken leg. Did he honestly believe he could escape the jaws of death? Sighing he set down what he had brought from the cellar and quickly grabbed a glass vase off a stand before he smirked and aimed it at Kevin's head.

The officer hissed in pain when the glass shattered against the back of his head and he stopped moving immediately, limply falling against the floor. Kevin closed his eyes in agony when he heard Scam's chuckle and he heard him stop right in behind him. Smirking, Scam kicked Kevin onto his back and chuckled when he noticed how rapidly his eyes were closing and losing their light.

_**Not yet.**_

There was still one more thing he needed to do. Scam smirked before speaking. "Not so fast officer, what's the hurry?" he said in a light-hearted, happy tone while watching Kevin twist and writhe on the floor in agony. Smirking evilly he whispered, "You can't die just yet. I have something special to show you, something you've been dying to see." Kevin ignored the words Scam was speaking and tried to concentrate on staying alive.

Amused at Kevin's lack of speech Scam reached down and grabbed Kevin's arm, choosing the broken one to cause him more pain while he dragged him to a corner of the room. Kevin hissed and moaned in torment when Scam finally let his broken arm go and he could feel nothing but pain protruding out of his body. "Open your eyes Kev," Scam said teasingly leaving Kevin to weakly open his eyelids.

His eyes didn't widen at what he saw right in front of him because they couldn't any more but a gasp of shock left him mouth as he stared at what Tim Scam was trying to show him. There right in front of him was Jerry's dead, ice-cold body. Scam smirked as he sensed the officer's shock. "Take a good look…" he said slowly while smirking harder as his eyes filled up with glory. "Take a good look at the other fool who thought to mess with me."

Kevin blinked rapidly as he stared at the dead body of Sam's poor old uncle sitting there frozen and lifeless. Enjoying Kevin's sadness Scam smirked while taking a small object out of his pocket and holding it in front of Kevin's face. Kevin gasped when he saw that he was holding a lighter right in front of his nose.

"Hmm…" Scam said teasingly while igniting the lighter and letting Kevin stare in horror at the flame. "It's a shame really, you wanted to find Jerry sooo badly and now that you have there isn't anything you can do for him." Bringing the lighter to Jerry's crumpled shirt scam smirked while holding it near the material and Kevin sated in terror as he realized just what he was planning to do. "Want to try and stop me?" Scam asked mockingly before he brought the lighter closer and let Jerry's body catch fire. Dragging Kevin back a bit Scam smirked harder as he let Kevin watch Jerry's body burn as it sat there as a messy heap of flames and flesh.

Kevin struggled in his hold as much as he could with his half-dead body and that only made Scam chuckle. Waiting until Jerry's body was completely burned to ash Scam released Kevin and let him fall back on the floor again. "Enjoy the show?" he asked in a haunting whisper as he paced over to him. Kevin clenched his teeth and lay there helplessly with the knowledge that he had just witnessed Scam burn Jerry's body to ash and he hadn't been able to stop him. There was nothing he had been able to do.

"Don't worry Kevin…" Scam said in a whisper. "You won't have to live with the guilt of not being able to do anything for Sam's poor uncle," he said while drawing out the knife he had been hiding in his pocket all this time. Crouching down to Kevin's level Scam smirked. "Do you recognize this? This knife?" he asked menacingly while holding the dagger directly over Kevin's line of vision. Kevin stared at the knife while laying there paralyzed.

This was the same knife Tim Scam had attacked himself with that night. Scam smirked when he noticed Kevin staring fixedly at the blade and he knew he remembered it well. "This is what I like to call justice," Scam spat before bringing the knife down closer until Kevin could see his own reflection in the blade. Letting his anger and hatred control him Scam dragged the knife to Kevin's left wrist where he slashed his veins and felt him writhe before he moved to the tight wrist and slashed again.

_**Again and again.**_

His eyes gleamed with bloodlust as he kept the blade going, slashing through Kevin's veins badly enough so they could never be repaired.

_**He hadn**__**'**__**t had a kill in so long.**_

Blood splattered onto the floor, soaking the area and some of it fell onto Scam's clothes but he didn't mind. After a few moments he stopped, taking a deep breath as he let the silence calm his senses. His eyes glanced up at the chandelier as he watched it swinging back and forth, oddly calming him down with its rhythmic, repetitive movement. A feral smirk touched his lips a he glanced down at the man who was taking very slow, constricted breaths before his gaze landed on the crystal chandelier again.

"You'll pay for messing with me Kevin…" he muttered before standing up and staring at the light fixture that kept moving slowly in the darkness. He reached down calmly and grabbed Kevin's arm, slowly dragging him along as he drew closer and closer to the chandelier.

* * *

A small, concerned frown was on his lips as he opened the door to his bedroom which only vanished behind a smile when he noticed Sam sleeping there on his bed, faithfully where he'd left her. He ran a hand through his slightly shower-damp hair before he closed the door behind him and drew closer to his sleeping wife.

_**It was all so perfect.**_

"_Just as it should be__…"_Scam thought, undressing before climbing into bed and getting under the blankets next to the girl that was sleeping there peacefully. He leaned over her body and held her close while burying his face into the hollow of Sam's neck. He smirked into her skin with only one thought on his mind. _"__And that__'__s how it__'__s __**always**__ going to be...__"_

* * *

When sunlight fell across her face the next morning, leaking in from the large bay windows of the bedroom Sam moaned softly before opening her eyes. She blinked a few times, her brain still fuzzy from the events of last night. Glancing down she blushed when she noticed her husband laying against her with his arms around her body. Smiling happily she ran her fingers through his hair while glancing at him lovingly and her smile only widened when he slowly opened his eyes, lifted his head and looked at her.

Soon a soft smile was playing on his lips as he brought his face closer to hers and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips leaving her to moan softly. Separating his mouth from hers Scam smiled again. "Did you sleep well?" he asked and Sam blushed at the question before nodding. "Yes, in fact I haven't slept that well since a long time," she said, looking down sadly remembering how many sleepless nights she had spent in that haunted mansion and missing him smirking at her words.

"So what would you like to do today?" he asked after a moment as he wrapped arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. He smirked when he felt her melt against him and he knew he was very tempted to just stay in bed all day. "Um actually…" Sam started, raising her head and looking into her husband's eyes. "Not much. I think I just want to unpack and settle in," she said making him smile as he remembered that Sam was stuck with him forever now.

Kissing her forehead he nodded before standing up, leaving her to blush and look away from his body. He chuckled softly at his wife's adorableness before telling her he was going to take a shower and he'd help her unpack her things from the suitcases as soon as he came back and got them something to eat.

Smiling after him Sam leaned back on against the headboard and took a deep breath in. She hadn't felt this safe and secure in such a long time. "Thank God I have Tim," she thought with a smile before taking a quick ten minute nap before she moved to get out of bed. Her hand automatically went to the bedside table by habit as she reached for her locket. Sam's eyes narrowed when she noticed that there was no locket there and she panicked wondering where she had put her mother's heirloom locket.

"Oh no…" Sam whispered quietly before sinking back against the mattress. Her eyes widened as she quickly remembered exactly where her necklace must be. Yesterday, in her hurry to get out of that haunted estate she must have forgotten to grab her locket off the bedside table. "Great," Sam muttered while cursing herself for her own stupidity. Now she was going to go and get it. She gulped, her throat going dry at the thought of entering that place again and soon her sense of security vanished as she sat there petrified in fear.

"Sam?" Tim's voice broke her out of her trance and she gave him a small smile but it was easy to see she was upset. Scam's eyes narrowed as he wondered why his Samantha looked sad as he came to sit next to her on the bed while pulling his bathrobe close. "Is something wrong?" he asked, concerned as he ran his fingers through her hair. Sam blushed in embarrassment, looking down for a moment and sighing before she bit her lip and looked at her husband's face. He wasn't going to be happy.

"Tim I…" she sighed again looking very hesitant and embarrassed. He chuckled softly encouraging her to go on. Sam blinked letting another sigh escape her lips before she spoke. "Yesterday when we left the mansion…I left my mother's locket behind."

His eyes widened slightly as he realized what this meant. Sam, being the girl that she was, was going to go back to the mansion to get her locket. Watching him suddenly go silent Sam bit her lip knowing she had upset him. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "It's just that locket means so much to me. It's one of the only things I have left of my mother and-"

"We're going to go and get it," he said cutting her off and leaving her blinking in shock. Tim Scam couldn't help but smile at Sam's cuteness. Did she honestly think he was going to say no to her? Deep inside his mind he smirked at the thought of Sam entering the mansion one more time. Finding her watching him silently he chuckled while drawing her up in his arms and hugging her tightly. "Sam… if it's important to you, it's important to me," he said causing a smile to form on Sam's lips as she held him close. How had she ever thought he wouldn't understand? That's all he did was understand her and care for her unconditionally.

_**It was no wonder she loved him so much.**_

He couldn't help but smirk discreetly at her adoring smile when she glanced at him. It was so obvious to him how much this girl trusted, loved and adored him. _"__She__'__s a __**perfect wife,**__**"**_he thought, amused at the thought before he got up to get dressed. Giving her a smile he helped pull her up from the bed. "Come on, let's get ready and grab something to eat before we leave," he said and Sam nodded before moving to take a quick shower before she left the house.

Within an hour they were in Tim's car driving towards the old mansion. Scam's eyes glanced at Sam from time to time while he smirked discreetly at how nervous she looked. It gave him satisfaction to know how lasting of an affect the fear he had instilled was having on her. Hopefully she would get over it in time. _"__Or maybe not,__"_he thought as he remembered what she was soon about to see. Dismissing that thought he cleared his throat leaving Sam to look up at him and smile but it did nothing to hide the fear in her eyes.

Giving her a smile and wanting to take her mind of the mansion for a while he nodded his head towards the car's glove compartment. "I have a little something for you," he said making Sam stare at him curiously. He smiled harder while his hands stayed on the wheel as he drove. "Go on, open it," he said, nodding towards the compartment again. Biting her lip in nervousness Sam nodded, a small blush on her face as she reached to open the compartment while wondering what this was all about.

As soon as she opened the compartment, a small, velvet box fell into her lap. Staring at it curiously Sam slowly picked it up and opened it only to gasp when she saw what was inside. A beautiful diamond ring. She couldn't even get her jaw to move back up as she stared at it in awe. "I thought I should at least get you a wedding ring considering how we got married," Tim said from next to her making her turn her head and look at him with a smile on her face. He shrugged. "I hadn't gotten the chance to give it to you until I remembered it this morning," he said apologetically before he looked at her intently. "It kind off slipped my mind last night," he said making her blush furiously as she remembered last night.

"Thanks…it's beautiful," Sam said softly, when she finally found her voice. She held the box close to her and smiled while she felt tears forming in her eyes at his honest display of love for her. She was so lucky. Feeling the car come to a sudden stop at the side of the road, Sam looked at him curiously only to find him giving her a smile before he spoke. "Here allow me," he said before reaching out and taking the box, and pulling out the diamond ring.

Sam blushed as he reached out and took her hand before he placed the ring on her ring finger. "Perfect fit," he said with a small smirk making her blush harder and look down. She bit her lip, still blushing before she took off her seatbelt and leaned over, placing a small, soft, kiss on his cheek to show her appreciation. When she pulled away Scam couldn't help but smile because by the look in her eyes he could tell she thought she was so lucky.

_**She had no idea how lucky she really was.**_

The rest of the drive went in silence with Sam silently studying her ring and giving sidelong, adoring glances to the man who was next to her while he sat there and smirked at those rare moments when she wasn't looking at him.

* * *

A chill passed through her skin as she stood outside the mansion not being able to summon the will to go in. "Go on Sam, I'll be right there," she heard her husband say as he moved to park the car properly. Sam really didn't want to go in alone and would much rather wait for him to finish parking but she knew she should get this over with as soon as possible. He had already been sweet enough to drive five hours straight and bring her here just so she could get her locket.

Knowing she would never be able to repay his kindness and support Sam took a deep breath before starting to move towards the mansion. It was okay, she didn't live here anymore. _"__It__'__ll just take a minute, I__'__ll be in and out,__"_Sam said to herself, smiling while quickly unlocking the mansion's door and stepping inside.

Sensing a strange, metallic scent in the air Sam narrowed her eyes before walking in further, making her way to the spiral staircase that led upstairs while knowing better then to wonder where that smell was coming from. A moment later she narrowed her eyes in confusion when she saw faint, red splatters on the ground under her feet. Sam froze on the spot and stared at the, reddish brown, ugly spots.

_**They looked so much like**__**…**__** blood.**_

Suddenly Sam felt her skin go cold, as if a ghost had walked right through her. Her heart hammered in her chest as she felt her throat close up while she slowly walked deeper into the mansion. Her instincts blared like a siren, telling her something terrible had happened.

_**Drip.**_

_**Drip.**_

_**Drip.**_

Sam's eyes narrowed as she heard the soft noises of liquid droplets falling onto the ground, now really close to where she stood. Her nose scrunched up when she sensed the smell had gotten stronger and her eyes widened as she quickly recognized that smell for what it was.

_**Blood.**_

Upon instinct she looked up to find the source of the blood only to have her eyes widen in shock and horror before a loud, terrified scream erupted from her throat. ""Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Sam screamed, while bringing her hands up to cover the bottom of her face while her eyes remained glued on the gruesome, horrifying sight before her. She felt the bile rising up in throat telling her she was close to throwing up as she stood there completely pale while staring at the dead body that was dangling right above her head, hanging from the chandelier.

_**It was Kevin**__**'**__**s body.**_

Kevin's head was half soaked in dried blood, while more blood flowed down one side of his face. His hair was glued to his split scalp and his eyes were wide open as he stared forward hauntingly. Sam shuddered as she stared at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Even from where she was standing she could see how his arms were full of gashes, how his veins were slashed open and little drops of blood were falling from the ruptured nerves and arteries. He must have bled all night.

Sam took a shaky breath while clutching her face harder as she stood transfixed in fear while staring at her best friend's cold, still, pale white body. One of Kevin's legs was limply hanging out, looking more broken than the rest, one of his arms was barely hanging on with a tiny thread of flesh, while the torn flesh let her the see the bone that was snapped in half. Sam choked on a sob and was never able to stop her tears from falling as she looked upon Kevin's torn, mutilated corpse.

"No…" Sam whispered still in shock as she began to back away from the horrifying sight that plagued her vision. "No!" She screamed, her voice cracking as tears exploded from her eyes she stumbled back almost falling. "No…no…no! Kevin!" She screamed.

The door burst open behind her and soon her husband was clutching her tight and holding her close. "Sam? Sam!" he said with nothing but concern in his voice as he looked at her with worry. Sam stayed silent while her body racked with sobs and she clutched Tim's shirt while sobbing uncontrollably. "Kevin…" Sam whispered while crying. "Tim…Kevin," she said before erupting into tears within his arms.

"Sam? Sam! What happened he asked, concerned and never tearing his eyes away from the girl that was crying rampantly in his embrace. Sam bit her lip before slowly nodding her head towards Kevin's lifeless body before she buried her face in her husband's chest and kept crying while soaking his shirt with tears. Following Sam's nod, Scam looked up and let his eyes glance at the sight before him. His eyes slightly glazed over as he watched Kevin's body swinging back and forth while blood ran down his torn, desecrated body.

_**It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.**_

Turning his attention back to the woman in his arms her let out a sad, heartbroken sigh while he rubbed her back in circles and held her close so she wouldn't have to look at her best friend's dead body. Sam kept crying violently while gripping his shirt in her fingers and taking deep, panting breaths. "…How- how could th- this is have happened?" she asked in a whisper while her voice shook from her sobs. Holding her husband tighter she kept crying. "What was Kevin doing here?" she asked while trembling and sobbing.

When he heard her words, Scam smirked inwardly knowing he knew just how to explain this to Samantha. Sighing her held her closer. "He shouldn't have come here, Sam," he whispered into her hair. "We told him to stay away but he wouldn't listen to us…" he said softly, with regret and sadness in tone. Raising Sam's head he lifted her chin with his finger and looked her in her teary eyes. "You told him this place was haunted but he didn't believe you."

Sam felt tears roll down her cheeks as she stared into her husband's concerned, sad and nearly tearful eyes. "He should have listened to you Sam…" he whispered while wrapping his arms around and bringing her closer and closer until she could see all the sadness and compassion on his face. "Kevin should have believed you."

Choking on a sob Sam slowly nodded her head, knowing that every word he was saying was true. Raising her hand she tried to wipe away the tears that were falling at the loss of her best friend only to feel the tears fall faster then she could stop them. Giving her a pained look, Tim cupped her cheek while wiping her tears away with his thumb. Sam bit her lip while staring into his eyes before she limply fell against his body and silently sobbed against his chest.

After a few moments Tim carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulders while he helped her stand. Holding her close he turned around and opened the door before slowly walking her out of the mansion. He felt her feet stop for a moment as she turned her head and glanced at her friend with sad, tearful eyes and he gave her a moment before he turned her back around and shook his head silently telling her to let it all go. Sam bit her lip and sniffed, trying to control her tears while she leaned her head on her husband's chest and closed her eyes while letting him walk her out of the mansion.

Once they got outside Tim gave Sam a little hug, holding her close and confronting her before he pushed her to walk towards the safety of his car. Watching her walk away he turned, facing the mansion and glancing at the open door before he drew closer to it. Scam's hand reached out to grab the doorknob as he slowly pulled the door shut only to take one quick moment to glance up at the chandelier.

Standing there in the open doorway, he let his eyes rest on Kevin's corpse, one last time before he smirked and finally closed the door.

* * *

_**MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- **_

I mean :P

_I'm hoping _I didn't scare you all away lol. Yes Tim Scam is an evil, conniving jerk that got away with everything (AWWWWWWW *sniff) and yes Sam is a total sweetheart.

I'll leave you to form your own opinions on Kevin, (May he rest in peace :P) because I find him eh-ish. Lol (Yes I am _biased _because I adore Tim Scam but ssshhhhh)

**PLEASE REVIEW AND MAKE MY HALLOWEEN**! :D (Even if I am late :( Sorry)

ALSO! Please **REVIEW Ivy's :) **fabulous Halloween story that is the next chapter.

Hope you guys enjoyed _both stories! __**Please please please review! **_Thanks!

Love,

Cresenta's Lark (P.S. Happy Halloween) XD


	2. The Phantom's Hauntings II

**The Phantom's Hauntings**

**Part II**

**(Poison's Ivy)**

**Note: **Although Cresenta's story is rated M, my story is **rated T**. This matters because, as you all should know, PH part 1 and PH part 2 are _two very separate_ stories

* * *

Two girls, driving in a blue Nissan Altima, flew by the streets as the car quickly passed the desolate neighborhood. One of the girls, Clover, twirled her blonde hair with a finger while leaning against the window. She sighed in a bored manner before her eyes widened as she remembered something to tell Sam. Clover turned around in her seat, making Sam glance at her from the corner of her eye.

"Sammie you won't believe what Mandy said to me today!" she said in a high pitched voice, her anger slowly unraveling in waves. Sam glanced at her friend from the corner of her eye, but kept her eyes on the road for the most part.

"I mean really!" Clover continued without caring that Sam didn't answer her. "Mandy accused _me_ of stealing her boyfriend, when in reality she knows no one wants her anyway—"

Sam laughed at that and when she slowed down to stop at a stop sign, she wondered why Clover had suddenly quit talking. Making sure there were no cars around her, Sam turned her head to glance at Clover, only to find that the blonde had gone into a slightly comatose state.

"Clover?" Sam asked worriedly. Clover was staring straight ahead, her eyes devoid of any emotion, her arms limp at her sides. "Clover, what's wrong?"

A slight shudder seemed to pass through the blonde, and Sam put the car into park before shaking her friend. "Clover, Clover what's wrong? Answer me!"

Clover, still staring straight ahead, blinked twice before turning her head slowly to look at Sam, her face being a mask of emotionless expression.

"Do you think you could make a left here?" Clover asked softly in a monotone voice. Sam raised an eyebrow in response.

"Clover, are you okay-"

"I'm fine", Clover asked softly in a monotone voice. She pointed her finger to the road ahead of them.

Sam raised an eyebrow but nodded, despite her friend's odd behavior, and started the car to make a left turn onto the street ahead.

One left turn, two right turns, and one three point turn and left turn later, at Crooked Hill Lane, Sam stopped at a large cream colored house, with windows a dull shade of gray and wooden doors creaking and groaning in protest.

"Clover, why are we here-"

Sam was ignored once again as Clover unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door silently.

"Clover!"

Her protests did nothing to stop the blonde girl from walking into the house, her legs making an even pace on the pathway to the large wooden door.

Sam shouted her friend's name but it didn't stop Clover from walking away into the house.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sam asked, but no response.

Clover, her gaze still straight ahead, kept walking until she came in front on the door. She stopped abruptly, leaving Sam to bump into her from behind.

"Clover-" , Sam started to say but the door creaking open interrupted her, and she turned around to face the opening door.

"Go inside please."

"_What?_" Sam turned her head to Clover, but Clover only pushed Sam ahead, her feet tumbling over the other, and in seconds she was inside the large house, with its marble tiles and hanging chandelier, its granite counters and its white carpeting. Sam turned to protest but the house's marvelous stature captured her eye, the gleam of the chandelier sparking in the corners of her eyes.

The door slammed behind her and Sam turned around frantically, running to the window and fidgeting with the doorknob, only to find she was locked in.

Seconds later, her car started and revved away, and running to the window, Sam found Clover had driven away with her car after pushing her into the house.

_"Dammit Clover!" _Sam thought, _"If this is a joke I'm going to kill her!"_

Of course Sam didn't know that when Clover was miles away, far from this unknown house, she would stop the car and shake her head in confusion, with no memory of what happened in the last hour. She would wonder where Sam was and why she was driving Sam's car, but to no avail. She would go home and tell Alex about the bizarre events to going from school only to end up on some strange road in the middle of nowhere, with no recollection of what happened in between.

"Hello?" Sam called out, her voice reverberating throughout the house, but no one replied. Sam rubbed her arms as she walked into the house, the large staircase staring straight at her, ready to swallow her whole. Her boots clacked against the marble tiles, the shiny while tiles with blue scribbles in them, and she wondered, as she walked, whose house this was.

"Is anyone home?" she tried again, but again no one responded to her call. Sam rubbed her arms harder through her cotton long-sleeved dress shirt, it reaching her thighs and a pair of black leggings covered her legs. "Hello?" she asked again, drawing the "o" of "hello" out, making her voice echo behind itself.

Sam brushed a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear before realizing that the room temperature had gotten even colder. Sam looked around the room, her eyes scanning the large paintings on the wall on various places, the red colored wallpaper, and the white carpet on the floor with a tint of red dashed across it.

"Hello", said a male voice from behind her. Sam spun around in shock when her eyes landed on a man wearing a black trench coat and jeans.

"Oh my god!" she yelped out in surprise, resting a hand over her chest in an attempt to calm her pounding heart. Blinking her eyes to make sure the man in front of her wasn't just a figment of her imagination, she took another look at him, almost becoming shocked at how...how _handsome_ he really was.

_(Because he looked… ethereal. Inhumane. Beautiful.)_

"I'm sorry...did I scare you?" he said softly with a small smile on his face. Sam felt her face turn hot so she turned her face away, only for her blush to grow stronger when she realizes she was in his _home_...

"I-I'm sorry..." she started to explain her embarrassing predicament. She looked up to look him in the eye when she saw the man's very presence...fade away into that air, his tan skin turning transparent, his brown locks blending into the area around him like a chameleon...

"W-what..." she tried saying, but the words died in her lips as she saw the man's body...disappearing into thin air.

He raised an eyebrow in a confused manner, one of the few things that were left of his face, before looking down at his body and opening his mouth in a small "o". He closed his eyes and soon his translucent body turned visible again. Chuckling, the man said, "Sorry about that. I don't really bother controlling it anymore", as if his fading into nothing was a normal, everyday thing.

Sam's eyes, already opened widely because of the bewilderment his actions placed her in, seemed to be frozen in that state. "How did you..." Sam blinked, the events happening in front of her not processing in her mind. "I-I mean, _what?_"

A melodious chuckle interrupted her stammering, a smirk growing on his face showing her his amusement. "Isn't it obvious as to what I am?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets and giving her that lovely smile.

Sam furiously shook her head, denying any of the facts presented in front of her. She opened her mouth to answer but the words died on her throat. She just shook her head, showing him that she did not believe what she had seen, because sometimes seeing is not believing.

His smirk only seemed to grow bigger. "And what do you think I am, Sam?"

She frowned; the small etches of fear crawling up her spine, dancing along her fingertips, threatening to grow inside her faster than she could run out of his house. "How do you know my name?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Another ghostly smirk. "I'm psychic."

She frowned again, wishing she could once again step back into the realm of normalcy. "Stop joking."

The man threw his head back and laughed. He then walked closer to her, his hands still stuck in his pockets, and Sam took a few steps back until her back reached a wall, leaving her with nowhere to go. Sam felt her heart rate quicken.

"Do you know what I am?" he asked, her his cold breath freezing her cheeks. His eyes seemed full of swirling darkness though, as shown by the way his eyes darkened when he took another step closer to her.

Sam pressed herself against the wall as tightly as she could and gulped when his mouth was so close to her face.

"I don't know you", she said with as much muster as she could. His smirk, still inches from her face, only grew into a greater evil.

"That wasn't my question…" he whispered with arrogance lacing his tone. Sam's eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "I'll ask again… Do you know **what** **I am**?"

Her lips quivered as his eyes grew darker, like an approaching storm cloud was nearing his irises. She turned her head away. "No", Sam stated in a whisper, now looking for the nearest exit.

"I'll give you three guesses", he said, though the mockery in his tone was fairly obvious. He stepped even closer to her and Sam squirmed under him when he reached his hands out to grab her arms and hold them high above her head. Sam shivered under his touch and the chandelier seemed to shake with the house when he chuckled.

"Get off of me!" Sam said as angrily as she could. She was thankful to God for not letting her voice crack.

"On one condition…" he whispered, letting his face enter the crook of her neck where he nuzzled her skin. Sam's mouth opened in a gasp, not expecting this strange stranger to do anything like this. It gave her the strength to fight back, to struggle against his hold on her and it didn't seem to be working until her body dashed forward. Sam frantically opened her eyes and looked around; the man had disappeared, removing his hold on her and … fading from her sight.

'_What the hell just happened?'_

Sam didn't bother trying to find out the answer.

In seconds her feet were close to the door and Sam reached her hand out to grab the doorknob when the man appeared out of thin air and grabbed her wrist before she could do anything. Sam's eyes widened out of shock, her heart beating fast and thumping against her chest, feeling like it was going to fall out any minute.

The man tightened his grip on her as his mouth turned downwards in a scowl, "An annoying habit that I can't seem to shake…" he grumbled through his lips, before looking at her. When his eyes landed on her, Sam shivered at the way he smirked, the evil from him being felt through the air in large waves. He pulled her by her hand, and she stumbled forward, not expecting the sudden burst of movement. His smirk seemed more ominous the closer she got to him, because it was more apparent that an evil smile was tainting his normally beautiful face.

He wasn't shouting nor was he whispering, yet his voice felt so loud in her mind. "So… What brings you here, _Samantha_?"

She wouldn't stutter in front of him. "My friend brought me here." Thank God.

"What a nice thing for her to do. Tell her I…" he smirked, bringing his head closer to her, "Say _thanks_." Sam's fear grew. He was mocking her. Did he plan this? Did Clover plan this? Was he in on her plan?

Was there even a _plan_?

The paranoia started to bubble in her stomach, burning her defenses down.

The worry must have shown on her face because he backed away from her slightly with a frown on his face. He was quiet for two minutes before he sighed inaudibly and looked at her with somewhat regretful eyes.

"… I'm sorry." Sam's eyes widened in confusion. The man looked at her with half-lidded eyes, the energy he was once displaying now gone in a flash. "I don't want to be mean to you."

He sounded sad. Sam's confusion just grew.

"I'm just…" he looked up to the ceiling, as if the answers would be written there, "Angry. About dying I mean."

'…'

Sam's stomach felt heavy and her eyes felt tired. To say she was confused at the sudden mood swing would be an understatement.

The man sighed again, this time more loudly, before putting his hands in his pockets and turning away from her. "I'm sorry. I'll let you leave…" Sam felt the door hit her back softly, and when she turned she saw that the beautiful mahogany doors were indeed open.

Sam wanted to step back but before she could something came over her. The natural curiosity she had been blessed with was now deemed a curse because she did not turn around and leave but instead she stayed to look around the beautiful house that seemed to be lonely and confused, like a fog covering a forest.

Her eyes naturally drifted down, toward the man whose hands were still in his pockets, his head still down and his back hunched over forward, as if he expected her to leave.

Leave him. Because he was alone and would always be that. _Alone_, like a single lamppost blinking in an abandoned park, surrounded by dark trees and dark pathways and dark skies.

Despite her gut clenching, despite her blood running cold at the sight of his haunting figure, despite the way the room just seemed to freeze at his entrance, she said something that she never realized would make her heart stop later.

"… Is there anything I can do to help you?"

She didn't even feel her mouth move.

And the way he turned his head, slowly and foreboding, reminded her of the horror films she'd watch with Clover and Alex when they'd have sleepovers on Halloween, reminded her of the way she'd curl her toes underneath the blanket and reminded her of the way she'd have the covers ready under her grip to pull up at the sight of a spike filled helmet closing in on Michael Mark's head. (1)

_Frightening_.

And then came his smile, curling up quietly and she realized a smile would look good on his face, if it weren't for the light of the chandelier playing twisted shadows on his face, letting his beautiful cold eyes gleam in the darkness.

_Petrifying. _

"That's nice of you", he said in a nice tone, but Sam could feel the humor under his comment, like he knew something she didn't.

_Foreboding._

"There… is one thing."

The air grew colder. She could feel its hands gripping her arms. Nails digging into skin. Feet frozen to the ground. His eyes watching her move, knowing how she would bolt out of this door once he stopped talking, unless he did something to keep her here.

_Horrifying. Terrifying. Anxiety, nervousness, pacingomgomgomgsomethingisn't right_—

"Sam?"

Sam looked up, breathing when she saw she was in the mansion.

"… Yes?"

He was closer to her now, only an inch away. Sam gasped at the sudden movement and stepped back, expecting to slam on the door that was opened, but she only hit air. Sam looked behind her; the door was closed.

Locked even.

The man (_ghost_) put his finger under her chin and made her look at him again. He sent a small smile her way before speaking, "Will you do something for me?"

Her lips were frozen.

_No. Something isn't right; YOU'RE not right—_

But she said, "Sure."

He smiled chillingly. "I want you to bring me… the men who killed me."

'_What? How could I possibly find them? I know nothing about them; I don't even know anything about _you_—'_

She felt herself nod. What? Why did she nod? She didn't want to nod; she wanted to go home! Something wasn't right!

His eyes bore into hers. His cryptic, ambiguous eyes that had no ending, just layers and layers of depth _and fear and hatred and vengeance and -_

He smiled. Sam felt her mood lighten. "There are a few of them… but first I want you to bring me Jack Sanders. Can you do that Sam?"

'_Jack Sanders. Grade 11. Beverly Hill High. Soccer player. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Dating Tina Farrell.' _

She nodded without consent again, like there was some puppet controlling her head, tying strings around her ears and pulling the head up and down. Up and down. Agreeing. Not disagreeing.

Another smile. Cryptic. Ambiguous. Beautiful.

_Chilling. _

His hand cupped the left side of her face, and he moved down to kiss her forehead.

She left through the door, feeling the hit of cool air as the breeze passed her. Sam looked back at the empty mansion, it looming over her small figure.

She never even got his name.

Sam blinked, reality hitting her as she looked outside into the street, where the sky and street never seemed clearer.

'_What… just happened?'_

"Hey Sam are you okay?"

Sam gasped and looked up, finding the smiling kind face of Jack Sanders looking back at her.

"W-what?"

Jack chuckled at Sam's dazed behavior. "Helloooo? Anyone there?" he asked jokingly as he waved his hand in front of her. Sam blinked a few times, finally registering Jack's voice and the students milling around him, eager to get to class.

"I'm sorry… what just happened?" Sam blinked again, taking a deep breath to make sure she was breathing properly. Jack furrowed his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes before putting his hand on Sam's forehead.

"Are… you okay Sam? You're not coming down with something are you?" Jack asked in a concerned voice. Sam sighed and shook her head, sending him a small smile to quell his worries.

"Anyway…" Sam said trying to change topics, "What were you saying?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, his expression telling her he did not believe she was all right, but chose to respect her wishes. "Well… you were telling me you could tutor me in Calc tonight."

Sam nodded, not remembering telling him any of this, "Right. Uh, your place?"

Jack frowned, "I can't do it at my house. I have family over. I just told you that, remember?"

Sam's eyes widened, or at least they threatened to open. Sam attempted to look calm, "Oh, heh"', Sam nervously chuckled, "Right. How silly of me. Um, how about my house then?" She turned around and fiddled with her locker as to not let Jack see her nerve wracked face. _'Why can't I remember anything?' _

Jack's suspicion of Sam's odd behavior only increased. "Uh yeah… Sure. What's your address?"

Sam inwardly let out a breath of relief. "141 Crooked Hill Lane."

'_Wait a second. That's __not__ my address._' Sam opened her mouth to stop Jack from writing the address down, but instead she said, "Why don't we just go after school? We can just go in my car."

'_What's going on?' _Sam wondered in worry. Why couldn't she control her own mouth?

Jack smiled, like a perfect picture of innocence, "Sure that'd be great!" He put his notebook and pen away before waving to Sam, "Thanks Sam! I owe ya for this."

Sam watched him go, feeling the anxiety sneak up on her, bubbling in her stomach. "It's okay. I'm happy to help!"

Jack sent her another bright smile, his green eyes twinkling, before he fully turned around and left for class.

Sam's own smile turned into a frown.

She immediately hurried to the bathroom, opening the door quickly and putting her books on the counter before going to the sink and splashing her face with cold water.

Sam gripped the edges of the sink, looking up at her reflection in the mirror, seeing no one but herself.

But her hair was in a ponytail that she did not remember ever pulling up, and she was wearing a white hoodie that she couldn't remember putting on.

'_Did I really just… drift off the whole day?'_

The lack of memory was frightening. She was not the type of person to zone out… especially for an entire day!

'_Think Sam. What's the last thing you remember?' _

Jack Sanders _(why was that name ringing in her mind?), _… saying her address was Crooked Hill Lane, going to Crooked Hill Lane yesterday, Clover dumping her, the ghost—

'_The ghost!'_

Sam's eyes widened as she remembered him, his haunting and terrifying sea foam eyes that glittered in the darkness of his mansion, his cold icy exterior that froze the room he was in, his loneliness that was encasing him in her unbreakable grip, his wishes, his death, his _favor. _

_That she was granting. _

He wanted her to bring him the people who killed him…

'_Does that mean Jack __**killed**__ that man?' _

Sam took a shaky breath, suddenly glad that she was holding onto the sink otherwise she would have fallen on the gray and white small tiles that were covering the bathroom floor.

Jack? JACK? The same Jack who had gotten onto one knee with a bouquet of roses and had asked Tina to go out with him in the courtyard? That _same _Jack was capable of killing a man?

No. No she refused to believe it. There was no way Jack could KILL a **fly**, let alone a man!

But why would the ghost lie to her? Why would he lie about his death? Because in the end, whether Jack was innocent or not, or whether the ghost had gotten his facts wrong, the man was still trapped in a ghost form. In the end, he was still _killed _by someone or something.

'_But… I have no idea if Jack __**didn't **__kill him.' _It was true. Jack had begun to hang around with some people that Sam knew didn't do things that were… socially acceptable. He could have been set up to kill the man, or…

_**He smiled chillingly. "I want you to bring me… the men who killed me."**_

The men… more than one. It was a group killing… Sam felt her heart drown. Who would have the heart to kill a man, especially in a situation where he was outnumbered?

Even if it wasn't Jack… the ghost still thought he _was_ the killer. She should at least try to find out when he died… if Jack had an alibi that checked out… or if he really was the killer.

Sam gulped.

She looked up into the mirror, her green eyes darkening with determination. She would solve this, and the first step would be taking Jack to the ghost's home… and find out what the ghost's intentions were before actually handing Jack to him.

The rest of the day seemed to be a blur, but at least this time Sam could feel the aching of her hand as she copied down every word the teacher said. At least the bell buzzed in her ear instead of avoiding her hearing all together.

And at the end of the day, Sam was waiting by her blue Nissan Altima, remembering something along the lines of telling Clover to not wait up for her. Sam bit her lip, trying to calm down her hammering heart, when she saw Jack walking towards her with his arm around Tina. He smiled and kissed her, before whispering something in the brunette girl's ear and giving her one last kiss before walking towards Sam.

Jack waved to her and Sam did her best to smile, hoping that her anxiety would stay still instead of hyperventilating in her stomach.

Not many words were spoken as Sam entered the driver's seat and Jack buckled into the passenger seat besides her. Sam turned the key in the ignition before driving out of the Beverly Hill High parking lot and heading towards Crooked Hill Lane.

_141… How do I get there again? _

Sam attempted to go back on the street where she was when Clover went into her awkward trance… make a left at the end of the road, turn right… turn right again into Daleny Drive, and make the second left…

Crooked Hill Lane.

Sam sighed as she pulled into the driveway of the beautiful home, telling Jack to stay in the car for a minute while she went inside.

Rubbing her hands together, Sam took a deep breath before putting her hand on the doorknob… hoping it would open.

It did, with the melodious creek instilled in horror films.

Sam gulped before opening the door fully and poking her head inside.

"Hello?" she asked, letting her voice bounce around the walls and trying not to let it bother her. She went inside cautiously, knowing the ghost's tendency to want to frighten people. _Like her. _

In seconds a figure materialized next to her, and Sam had to chastise herself for jumping in shock. His warm smirk greeted her, and Sam had to pull at her lip to stop herself from smiling at how comfortable he looked leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"You called?"

Sam had to work to not make her resolve melt into a puddle at the sound of his voice. She had to be logical here; she was supposed to be solving a murder.

Questions first.

"What do you plan on doing with Jack?" Stern. Straight to the point. Good Sam.

The ghost raised an eyebrow, letting his smirk grow wider as he sauntered his way over to her, hands still in his pockets, until he brought them out to wrap around Sam's waist. He pulled her close, letting his arms tighten around her, "Why? Did you bring him?"

Sam struggled out of his grip, avoiding his gaze on her. "That's none of your concern."

He chuckled, "You know, I have_ windows_ for a reason…"

Sam glared at him.

"_But_ in all seriousness", he said, moseying his way closer to Sam and tightening his grip on her, "I just want to know why I was killed. That's all."

He sounded sincere, but something in Sam's gut told her he was lying. She let the thought cross her face, and the man soon realized that she didn't believe him. He visibly frowned and said, "Okay… maybe put in a punch or two if he doesn't confess, but that's all. I promise."

Sam sighed, looking away from him, "Yes but he should get a fair trial… No offense, but you seem like a violent person. Who knows what _you'd _do to him." Sam then put her hands over his hands that were over her waist and attempted to push them down.

He tightened his grip.

"Do you mind?" Sam said suddenly when she was failing to get him off of her, "I don't even know your _name._"

If she listened closely she would have heard the growl under his breath.

"Tim Scam", he said, bringing his head closer to hers. "Now, _please_, bring me the boy and go. home. Am I making myself clear?"

Sam felt the pull towards him but she tried resisting by shaking her head. "How do I know I can trust you to be alone with him?" she asked angrily, fed up from trying to get his arms off her.

Scam's features softened at her tone. He brought his hand up to brush a lock of her that had escaped her ponytail. "Because I know he's one of the men who killed me… And I don't want to risk leaving him alone with _you._"

Sam felt her lip quiver, and she slowly gulped as she saw the compassion that was raging in his eyes.

"Please trust me here", Scam whispered, "I intent on keeping him here, unharmed, until you bring the other men to me. I just want to question them together. I need Nick Karafant next."

_Don't melt, don't melt, don't melt… _

Sam looked down, away from his powerful gaze, "How do you know their names?"

The corners of Tim's mouth almost dropped but he managed to keep his sad façade up. "… I'm a ghost. I have plenty of free time."

"… Then why can't you just bring them yourself?"

Scam frowned, "… I was killed in my own home when four men snuck in to rob me. I can't leave the place I was killed, no matter _how _powerful my intent to stay on Earth is." Seeing Sam's eyes widen, he continued, "That's the reason I can touch you; it's because I'm powerful. But…" he faded into nothing before reappearing again, "My power comes with some… limitations."

Sam was struck speechless.

Scam moved his eyes to the black car waiting outside where the blonde boy was sitting. Sam followed his gaze and nodded.

"Jack come inside!" she called out as Scam let go of her waist. Sam stepped outside, watching Jack smile and open the car door to get out, and she looked back at Tim Scam for a moment, entranced by his grateful smile. He motioned her to leave once Jack came, but before she did, she turned back.

"Bye Tim."

He smiled.

"Bye Sam…"

Sam went outside and smiled at Jack, telling him to make himself comfortable, she'll be right inside. Jack of course nodded and listened to Sam, and the minute Sam got into her car and sat down she heard the front door of the house slam.

Sam sighed. It was for the best, right?

She closed her car door and drove home.

Sam tuned the radio station to play her favorite channel, letting the music filter through the speakers and calm her nerves. Tim would only hold Jack. That's it. She would bring Nick to him as soon as possible, and then the other two men, and Tim would find out why he was killed. That's it.

So why was she feeling so nervous?

'_It's nothing. It's nothing.' _

Sam kept repeating her mantra over and over again, even well into the next day when she was sitting in English class with Nick right next to her, passing notes to one of his friends.

Getting Nick to go to Scam's house would be another problem. Sam wasn't very close to Nick, but if Tim truly did believe that Nick was one of the men who had killed him that night, then she would have to make a miracle happen.

Sam twirled her pencil for the rest of the period, feeling her mind bored with the lack of ideas she had for getting Nick to Tim's home. In front of her, Sherry Johnson had passed a note to Nick through three different people and batted her eyelashes while doing so. (From what she had heard Sherry had her phone taken away a couple of periods ago.)

Actually… that gave her an idea.

Nick was next to her, so he passed the note to her and Sam had to quickly hide it because their teacher had turned around and was currently asking Sherry a question about Shakespeare. Sam took this distraction to quell her morals and peek at the note; thankfully Nick hadn't bothered to close the note completely. It was about coming to her house on Friday…

Sam got an idea.

A fully thought one, actually.

Enough time had passed when Sherry had answered the teacher's question. She had written that she had just moved to a new address, and Nick was asking her if tonight was a better time.

While making sure no one was watching, Sam scribbled a message back to Nick in Sherry's handwriting.

_141 Crooked Hill Lane. Tonight after school would be perfect!_

Sam passed the note back to Nick, as if she had just gotten it from Sherry. Nick paid no attention to how the note had arrived.

Sam thanked her luck.

After school Sam got into her Nissan and drove to Crooked Hill Lane (remembering how to get there easily this time around), and parked before entering the home.

"Tim?" she called out, smiling as she noticed him walking towards her. In seconds he had wrapped his arms around her yet again, (a favorite hobby of his, she noticed), and he was quick to nuzzle her neck, feeling satisfied at her coming.

"Hello Sam…" Sam blushed when he kissed the crook of her neck, biting her lip and feeling even more embarrassed by the redness of her face.

"N-Nick should be here soon…" Tim removed his face from her neck to smile at her.

"I don't know how to thank you for this Samantha…" Sam blushed again.

"It's not a problem, really—"

"But I want to thank you anyway…" he whispered, "But I'm dead and I can't do much… So I'll leave you with this."

And then he kissed her, and Sam could feel herself melting like chocolate in her mouth when he kissed her. She thought the butterflies were just a chemical reaction of hormones being secreted, and weren't really butterflies but that's all she felt. Butterflies. Flying in her stomach. Lightheadedness and it was all worth it for the feel of his lips against hers.

Sam didn't hear anything (she didn't hear much of anything nowadays) but Tim claimed that Nick was coming close to this house and she didn't want to risk the chance of Nick seeing her. Tim placed another kiss on her lips while mumbling another name before letting her go.

So with a blush as red as a tomato on her face Sam left, too embarrassed to look back.

She was still blushing the next day (pathetic, that's what she was) but through all the doodles of _Samantha Scam _on her notebook and through all the trouble of **hiding** the actual notebook from Clover who had seen hearts and had become curious instantly, Sam had somehow managed to find Sean Valerez in the midst of the hallway and had asked him to come over today for the Speech project they had coming up.

_By now the routine was simple._

Even as she drove to Crooked Hill Lane, the butterflies (butterflies, she had determined, were much better than any _chemical secretion_), were dancing along her spine. She looked at her rearview mirror where the silver car was following her.

She was, in a way, glad that Sean was following her this time. As much as she would love to see Tim, she didn't think she could without blushing the entire time…

Sam pulled up in front of the familiar house and walked towards Sean who had just gotten out of his car and was staring at the 141 house in bewilderment.

"…Anything wrong?" Sam asked while putting her keys in her pocket.

Sean glanced at Sam quickly before letting his gaze go back to the house. "Uh, Sam… Isn't this the house where that serial killer was found dead?"

Sam frowned. Serial killer? What serial killer? Sean was probably making excuses because he remembered this house; perhaps he was remembering and regretting the events of the other night.

Of course, she wouldn't let his guilt stop him from facing the man he killed.

"What? No!" Sam said, faking the shock that would be perfect for the situation. "_I _live here and you don't see _me _murdered, do you?"

Sean sighed before letting out a small laugh, "Yea you're right. Sorry about that."

Sam walked up to the front and knocked on the door, Sean being right behind her. She entered the house and told Sean to take a seat. While he was looking away, Sam looked for Tim and winked at him when she found him. She gave one last look to Sean before leaving quickly.

Sam looked back at the house.

It was two days since she had seen Sean, three since she had seen Nick, and four since she had seen Jack. Something wasn't right. Sam bit her lower lip; maybe it would be better if Andrew stayed home instead of coming with his car later. Something about him wanting to drive with his car. She had just dropped him home and told him to come to her house quickly.

Sam remembered Tim telling her how he was waiting for all four men before he talked to them… but wouldn't their parents be getting suspicious?

Her gut squirmed.

Sam sighed, trying to calm her nerves. Looking around the street to find Andrew, she was confused when she saw Sean's and Nick's cars… missing. Did they already go home? Perhaps Tim already talked to them instead of waiting for Andrew as well.

Speaking of Andrew… That was his car down the hill wasn't it?

Sam bit her fingernail. _'It's nothing. It's nothing.'_

Andrew was driving a lot faster than Sam had expected. _(What? Why would she think that? Didn't she want Tim to know the reason behind his death?) _

Sam looked up at the 141 house, her mind sending her warning signals about what Sean had said the last time she had seen him.

"_**Uh, Sam… Isn't this the house where that serial killer was found dead?"**_

At first she had thought Sean was simply joking, but in Calculus she had heard some rumor (or, something she had dismissed as a rumor) of some secret serial killer dying recently.

Sam looked at Andrew who was approaching just as quickly.

'_Well… It couldn't hurt to check.'_

Sam quickly took in her iPhone and quickly held her jacket together to protect herself from the chilly winds. Typing in "serial killer 141 Crooked Hill Lane", she hoped… hoped she would get nothing.

'_Why do I have to hope? It's just… just nothing.' _

Her gut was telling her otherwise.

Sam scrolled down the links that had popped up, and tapped her screen to go on a promising sounding link.

_**Tim Scam is the Snake. **_

'_Tim? A snake? What?' _

_**HONK! **_

Just then Andrew pulled over and waved at her. Sam sent him a half-hearted smile, before putting her attention back on the small screen, only to find that her iPhone had turned off because it was out of battery.

Once Andrew parked, he walked over to Sam and gave her a small hug, something Sam returned.

'_Maybe Andrew knows something.' _

As Sam walked up the pathway, she turned her head towards Andrew to ask him about Tim. "Hey Andrew, did you ever hear anything about… the Snake?"

Andrew froze in his tracks. Sam had to go back when she realized he had stopped.

"Andrew?"

He looked up at her with his black slanted eyes, "The Snake was a serial killer who killed a lot of students… our age. I heard there were five students who survived his wrath because Snake died before he could kill them."

Sam's eyes widened. The Snake… was a serial killer?

Which meant—

The doors to the mansion opened with the wind, with the ethereal image of Tim Scam at its doorways.

_Gates of Hell. _

"Please…", he said smirking, "Come in."

Sam felt a pull of her shirt as she was pulled into 141, as if the air had suddenly gotten hands and had grabbed her shirt.

Tim smirked as Andrew and Sam were brought into his home with the door slamming behind them in a cacophony.

A feral smirk grew on his lips as he walked closer to Sam, letting his hands trail over her waist, her stomach, her arm, before letting his transparent form become real, tangible, allowing Andrew to see him.

Angry, he let his hand travel down to her waist where he kept her close, his body touching hers, her body heat harshly colliding with his icy exterior. Sam stiffened under his touch but he didn't mind; he had heard how she had found out the truth. There wasn't any point hiding from her now.

With a quick flick of his hand Tim sent Andrew flying, letting him crash into a wall, his body making sounds that they shouldn't have been making. Tim clenched his fist and Andrew's body followed suit, his legs bending over his arms and his stomach curling backwards, while his screams echoed throughout the whole room. Another quick flick of the wrist made the crystal chandelier pieces come loose, and soon they were flying rapidly into Andrew's body, cutting into his skin like bullets into water, staying in his skin to tear his ligaments and tendons apart.

"STOP!" Sam screamed in surprise. She thrashed around in his tight grip but Tim managed to keep his skin tangible so that he could hold her in place.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Sam cried, trying to bite Tim's hand to let her go but she suddenly froze in place, and Tim removed himself from her to focus on Andrew for the time being.

'_I… I can't move_'_, _she thought in shock. Sam tried moving her limbs, but unfortunately was helpless. She looked up and stared at Andrew's broken body, his tearful sobs and his pain.

She couldn't do anything. She **brought **Andrew to this ... this madman. She brought him… And Jack and Nick and Sean. She had ignored all the signs, _ignored them. _

And now she had caused Andrew's death. And Jack. And Nick. And Sean. They…

"_**I heard there were five students who survived his wrath because Snake died before he could kill them."**_

'_Snake died…' _Sam looked up at Tim, realization shining through her eyes, _'Tim died. Jack, Nick, Sean, Andrew… those were four students he was planning to kill.'_

Andrew's screams tore through the room as Tim raised his arm to bring Andrew's body up, and then threw it back to the ground, shattering his bones completely. His labored breathing and agonizing screams stopped along with his heartbeat.

Tears fell from Sam's eye and the spell on her body vanished, and she fell to the floor in a crumpled mess.

'_He had me bring them here so that he could kill them…' _

Tim turned around and walked to the sobbing girl and pulled her up with one arm. Soon her lifeless form was in his embrace, and he somewhat struggled to keep his form tangible so he could just ... hold her in his arms.

Sam gulped, the tears streaking her face, but she stiffened at Tim's touch and tried to pull herself away from him.

'_But… but who's the last student?' _

"Let go of me", she whispered harshly, gulping as his grip on her tightened more. The lights flickered, the chandelier swinging back and forth, casting shadows against the blood stained walls. A low growl rumbled in Tim's throat as he stepped closer to her, his head dangerously leaning over hers.

Tim smirked, his smile taunting and serious, frightening and foreboding, petrifying and chilling.

"My dearest Samantha… what ever made you think I was letting you go?"

_Horrifying. Terrifying. Anxiety. Nervousness._

Sam's eyes widened. _'Oh God…'_

The lights flickered, threatening to turn off.

'_I'm… My name is the last name on that list.' _

"I'm not allowed to leave this house… and by the time I'm done with you…" Tim grinned, "You won't be allowed to either."

* * *

"**Snake" Strikes Even In Death; 5 Teens Murdered**

**By Andy Baker**

This past week, five bodies of Beverly High Students were found dead at 141 Crooked Hill Lane, in the home of the now deceased "Snake", the serial killer who the Federal Bureau of Investigation was attempting to catch during his lifespan. Snake's real name was never revealed until the unexpected heart attack that had befallen Tim Scam. Friends of Scam found a list hidden deeply in his home that listed all the victims Snake had murdered, as well as the names of Beverly High students Jack Sanders (above), Nick Karafant (above), Sean Valerez (above), Andrew Niomal (above) and Samantha Simpson (above), the newest five teens who were suspiciously murdered _after_ Scam's death. The F.B.I. as well as local law enforcement are investigating the possibly of a copycat killer, someone who idolized Snake's image and murders and decided to finish Snake's fatal list.

Sanders, Valerez and Niomal were all last seen leaving school with Simpson. Investigators theorize the possibility that Simpson was in cohorts with Scam while he was alive, but because Simpson was murdered as well, her murderer is unknown and the theory will most likely not be investigated because Simpson's death shows no signs of suicide.

These five deaths of students are tragic, and a ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 1st to honor their lives, as well as the lives of the other students who Scam had brutally murdered.

(Story continued on page 8.)

* * *

**;P **

**1 – A scene supposedly from Saw II; I never saw the movie so this is all based off of Wikipedia.**

**I'm going to pretend to be clever here (and take a page out of Tony Morrison's ****Beloved****) and say that 141 equals 1 plus 4 plus 1 which equals 6. As in, 6 people died in that house. Hah. :P (That actually was NOT planned. How cool is that!) **

**Anyway, this is the second instalment of ****The Phantom's Hauntings****. PLEASE NOTE THIS STORY IS DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER. Please review them separately. **

**And also… Review please :) Cresenta and I had this planned for a while, but last year we were not able to finish our individual stories. This year we were late by 1 day (notice how the funeral ceremony for Jack, Nick, Sean, Andrew and Sam are all on Nov. 1st****. Check the day this was published.)**

**Loves from both of us. **

**Love,  
Ivy**


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